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The attendance of a Sinn F\u00e9in leader at a police recruitment drive in Northern Ireland has been hailed as \u201cseismic and historic\u201d by the region\u2019s chief constable.<\/p>\nThe attendance of a Sinn F\u00e9in leader at a police recruitment drive in Northern Ireland has been hailed as \u201cseismic and historic\u201d by the region\u2019s chief constable.<\/p>\n
Stormont Deputy First Minister Michelle O\u2019Neill joined Simon Byrne and other commanders at the event at the Police Service of Northern Ireland\u2019s training college in east Belfast on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
Along with DUP First Minister Arlene Foster she posed for pictures holding posters advocating policing as a positive career choice.<\/p>\n
It is the first occasion such a senior Sinn F\u00e9in figure has attended a recruitment campaign launch for the PSNI and comes amid concern that progress to address under-representation of Catholic officers in the organisation has stalled and is starting to go in a backward direction.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s seismic and historic in terms of the history of the PSNI and the commitment we have heard from Sinn F\u00e9in today, and indeed all political leaders who have joined us in this launch,\u201d said Mr Byrne.<\/p>\n
Police commanders did not know until less than an hour before her arrival that the republican leader would be attending the launch of the campaign to recruit 600 new officers.<\/p>\n
Sinn F\u00e9in had previously been accused of not doing enough to advocate policing as a career.<\/p>\n
Dissident republican targeting of Catholic officers is a key factor in the falling numbers of applications from members of the nationalist community in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n
Mr Byrne, who had urged nationalist and republican leaders to be more vocal in promoting the police, said: \u201cWe have called for that support in the past and now people have stood up to that challenge and stepped forward and are encouraging people to join the PSNI so I think it\u2019s an historic day not just for policing but for Northern Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms O\u2019Neill, who was joined by Sinn F\u00e9in policing spokesman Gerry Kelly, said she wanted to achieve a police service that was more representative of the community it serves.<\/p>\n
\u201cClearly the PSNI have launched a very significant, intensive recruitment campaign and we are here because it is no secret that nationalists are under-represented in the police service, that Catholics are under-represented in the police service and, if we are going to have a police service that commands community confidence, then it needs to be reflective of the community it serves, so we are here because of that reason,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Deputy First Minister said she wanted to see a return of the controversial 50:50 positive discrimination tool that ensures the PSNI recruits Catholics and Protestants in equal numbers.<\/p>\n
She said steps also needed to be taken to address under-representation of women and members of ethnic minorities.<\/p>\n
Asked if she would encourage young Catholics to join the police, Ms O\u2019Neill replied: \u201cI think the fact that I am here today speaks volumes in terms of what I am trying to do \u2013 we need a PSNI that is reflective of the community in which it serves.\u201d<\/p>\n
She highlighted that only one out of every five Catholics who apply for the PSNI is successful.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a big issue here in terms of Catholics being successful in the recruitment process,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
DUP leader Mrs Foster welcomed the Sinn F\u00e9in move.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it is important because there have been a lot of conversations about the fact that we need to have a police service that reflects Northern Ireland society so I think it\u2019s important that, as leaders, we show leadership and come along to these events to support our police service, so that is significant and I very much welcome it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She said the fact there were representatives from across society at the event sent a \u201cvery powerful message\u201d.<\/p>\n
Mrs Foster said it was the \u201cnext step\u201d in Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s journey in supporting the police.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had been concerned that there hadn\u2019t been members coming along to recruitment and indeed graduation ceremonies so I welcome the fact that Sinn F\u00e9in are here today because I think it sends out a good message,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n