The mother of a 21-year-old Catholic RUC officer, shot dead by the IRA in Derry in January 1993, said yesterday she was delighted at the decision of the Northern Catholic bishops to come out in favour of the proposed new police service.
Mrs Kathleen Ferguson, whose son Michael was shot twice in the back of the head at close range while on foot patrol in Shipquay Street, said she wanted young nationalists "to get in there and join the new police force".
The .38 pistol used to kill Const Ferguson was used in three other killings.
Mrs Ferguson said she believed young Catholic men and women should respond to the bishops' statement by applying to join the Northern Ireland Police Service.
"I was delighted to hear about and to read the bishops' statement because young Catholic boys and girls should be able to join the new police service. They should get in there, join up and make it work because we all need a police service which has the support of all of the people here.
"I know that that is what my son Michael would have wanted. He would have loved to have lived to see this day. He joined the RUC when he was at university. He said he felt he could better serve the community by joining the police. Naturally as a mother his decision worried me, but he knew what he was doing because my late husband Dan had 35 years in the RUC.
"I think maybe that the Catholic bishops could have come out sooner in supporting policing generally. They should have done so before now because we have wasted a lot of time. Also I think more of the politicians should have been more sympathetic to the police officers we have now, and to young people who are thinking about policing as a future career. Both politicians and priests should back the police service.
"It is my wish that this statement by the Catholic bishops will mean as much to young Catholics who are considering joining the police service as it does to me. It means an awful lot to me and it will mean a lot to the young police officers of the future in terms of their careers.
"This statement has delighted me. Any statement which offers hope to young people in terms of their future career has to be welcomed. Now that the Catholic Church is behind the young people on this issue, it's up to the young people to show that they're worthy of that support by coming forward and joining the new police service," Mrs Ferguson said.