Sinn Fein have announced it is still a "substantial distance" from endorsing Northern Ireland's police service.

Around 2,000 activists gathered at the conference in Dublin for what was meant to be a celebration of Sinn Féin's growing political advances but was overshadowed by the murder of Robert McCartney.

The party's leadership was instead forced to concentrate on limiting the damage caused by what Gerry Adams called the "huge issue" of IRA members' alleged involvement in the killing of the forklift truck driver stabbed to death in January.