PSNI chief constable Jon Boutcher has said Michelle O’Neill’s planned attendance at a PSNI graduation ceremony is “a hugely positive gesture”.
Sinn Féin is to attend a PSNI graduation ceremony for the first time on Friday.
The First Minister has accepted an invitation to attend the event at Garnerville in east Belfast.
She will be accompanied by the party’s policing board member Gerry Kelly.
It is understood Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly will also attend.
Alliance leader Naomi Long will be at the event in her role as justice minister.
She is “very pleased” Sinn Féin are attending and said it is “probably long overdue, but certainly a good start in terms of showing commitment to policing and justice”.
“I hope that the visuals of seeing someone who is a republican, who is First Minister, engaging openly with the police and confidently with the police would encourage other people from a nationalist background to consider coming forward and getting involved in policing,” she told BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster.
Mrs Long added that key to this was money being found so that “new recruitment campaigns can be successful and bring new people into the service”.
However, Ulster Unionist policing board member Mike Nesbitt has criticised Mr Boutcher for his party leader Doug Beattie not being invited.
“By definition, that is not inclusive,” he said, highlighting the other three Executive parties would be represented at the ceremony.
In response, Mr Boutcher said he wished “to make clear that I respect and work closely with all political parties in Northern Ireland”.
“I have personally spoken to Doug Beattie, leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, for whom I have enormous respect,” he added.
“With the restoration of the Assembly, now is the time to grasp the opportunity to work together, rather than have policing as a political football.”
Mr Boutcher said “to correct the record” the PSNI was “approached this week” for the First Minister to attend Friday’s ceremony, “which was a very welcome and hugely positive gesture”,
He said he is “further delighted the Deputy First Minister and Justice Minister are also attending, as is the Chair of the Northern Ireland Policing Board”.
“With the restoration of the Assembly, now is the time to grasp the opportunity to work together, rather than have policing as a political football,” he added.
“I am determined for the security and safety of the people in Northern Ireland, that such future events will have the officer numbers we need to keep Northern Ireland safe, rather than the small yet important number of officers attesting today.
“The reduction of officer and staff numbers and lack of pay awards is the message that everyone should be focused upon.”
Sinn Féin confirmed its party’s move in a short statement on Thursday evening.
A spokesperson said: “Tomorrow the PSNI student officer attestation ceremony takes place where a number of new recruits will graduate.
“Michelle O”Neill will be in attendance and will join the ceremony. Sinn Féin Policing Board member Gerry Kelly MLA will also attend”.
Sinn Féin has in the past been accused of having a lukewarm approach in its support for the PSNI.
But four years ago Michelle O’Neill and Gerry Kelly attended the launch of a PSNI poster recruitment campaign.
A number of years ago, Sinn Fein indicated it would begin attending ceremonies once reforms were implemented at the police training college.
An external report of its practices in 2016 was critical of its then “military-style” regime.
The format of passing out ceremonies has since changed and no longer involves recruits marching.
The chief constable at the time, Simon Byrne, described the move as “seismic and historic”.
He said he hoped it would have a significant impact on the PSNI’s ability to recruit more Catholic officers.
But since then Sinn Féin has turned down invitations to attend PSNI graduation ceremonies.
Liam Kelly of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, said the attendance of Sinn Féin members would be “a little bit of history” and hoped it would become “the new normal”.
“Unfortunately, only a small number of student officers are graduating and that’s way below what is urgently required,” he added.
“We would like the first minister to realise the dire and parlous state that policing finds itself in and to lead the effort to secure adequate resources and meaningful recruitment.”
Meanwhile, DUP MP Gregory Campbell said that it was “better late than never”.
He told BBC News NI’s Evening Extra: “It is an unequivocal welcome of a step which should have occurred many years ago.
“Hopefully it will lead on to further support to get people from across the community to join the police, and I mean active support, not just a statement.”