Sinn Féin's ard chomhairle has cleared the way for three members of the party to take seats on the Northern Ireland Policing Board.
At a meeting in Dublin yesterday approval was given for the three to take their seats when the board meets next month.
A former IRA prisoner who was convicted of conspiracy to cause explosions in England in 1986 is among the party nominees.
Martina Anderson is now an Assembly member for the Foyle constituency and was director of Sinn Féin's engagement with unionists.
The others are Alex Maskey, who was the first Sinn Féin lord mayor of Belfast and North Antrim MLA Daithí McKay.
Announcing the decision, Mr Maskey said: "Some weeks ago Gerry Adams indicated that in the event of the political institutions going live he would propose to the ard chomhairle that Sinn Féin take up our places on the policing board.
"Yesterday's meeting of the ard chomhairle agreed that Daithí McKay, Martina Anderson and myself would go forward to represent the party."
He said they were going on the board to hold the PSNI to account and would not shy away from challenging, criticising and questioning policing decisions.
He said Sinn Féin had set themselves a number of objectives which they intended to deliver through their membership of the policing board and local district policing partnerships.
He said they included insuring:
• A civic policing service, accountable and representative of the community, was delivered as quickly as possible.
• That the chief constable and the PSNI were publicly held to account.
• That policing with the community was achieved as the core function of the PSNI.
• That political policing, collusion and the "force within a force" was a thing of the past. They would also be opposing any involvement by MI5 in civic policing.
• That the issue of plastic bullets was properly addressed.
Mr Maskey said: "These are obviously significant challenges for republicans and over the past two weeks we have been engaged in a series of meetings with the current policing board, the ombudsman and with victims.
"Tomorrow we will meet with the oversight commissioner."
He added: "Sinn Féin are going onto the policing board to hold the PSNI to account. On the policing board we will provide the voice for communities who have in the past experienced only bad policing.
"We want to play a constructive role on the board but we will not shy away from challenging, or criticising or questioning policing decisions and policy when the need arises."