Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams was last night preparing to embark on a series of potentially fractious public meetings to try to convince rank and file republicans that now is the time to support the PSNI.
After persuading Saturday's Sinn Féin ardchomhairle that the party should press ahead with an ardfheis on policing on Sunday week, Mr Adams must in the coming two weeks convince the "republican base" to endorse the PSNI.
He said yesterday that he and MEP Bairbre de Brúwould participate in a series of town hall meetings ahead of the ardfheis.
A vote of 50 per cent plus one would carry the ardfheis, which is to be attended by up to 2,000 delegates. However, to achieve a convincing endorsement and to avoid a split or serious splintering of the party, Mr Adams would need to carry the ardfheis by two-thirds support or more.
The motion that will be put to the ardfheis includes support for the PSNI and the North's criminal justice system as well as Sinn Féin joining the Policing Board and the district policing partnerships.
This decision has caused anxiety among many supporters and provided an opportunity for republican dissidents to challenge the Sinn Féin leadership.
In the Assembly elections scheduled for early March, several republicans who oppose any move on policing are likely to stand against Sinn Féin candidates.
Yesterday Paul McGlinchey, a former Sinn Féin supporter and brother of murdered INLA leader Dominic McGlinchey, was the latest to signal his intention to stand on an anti-policing ticket as an independent republican.
Mr Adams said he wanted a full and open debate at the public meetings and that people opposed to his standpoint would be welcome.
"We don't want anyone to say that they have not had their say in this debate," he told RTÉ's This Week programme yesterday.
There appeared to be an element of conditionality about the motion that will be put to the ardfheis, as it leaves it to the ardchomhairle to decide how and when an ardfheis decision endorsing policing would be implemented. It states that such a decision would "only" be implemented when the DUP shared power with Sinn Féin and when Sinn Féin was satisfied policing and justice powers will be transferred to a restored executive.
Failing such a DUP commitment, the motion "only" would be carried out when Plan B was put into effect, ie the strengthened British-Irish "partnership arrangements" on how the North would be run.
A senior London source appeared sanguine about this element of the motion, stating that "the clear understanding" was that as soon as such an ardfheis motion was passed Sinn Féin would provide demonstrable support for the police.
DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson said he welcomed the decision on the ardfheis but what was crucial "was action on the ground".
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, welcoming the ardfheis decision, said for the first time there was the prospect of all parties "giving their full support to policing and the rule of law".
