Catholics 'less than 25%' of PNSI new recruits
Catholics made up less than a quarter of successful applicants in a new recruitment drive for Northern Ireland’s reformed police service, it was claimed today.
With strict 50:50 religious employment guidelines in place, hardline unionists insisted hundreds of Protestants regarded as officer material had been rejected.
Sammy Wilson, a Democratic Unionist member of the Policing Board, declared: “It is absolutely perverse that twice as many Protestants get turned away as Catholics who are accepted.”
New figures show that in the fourth recruitment process for the Police Service of Northern Ireland 748 candidates made it through, Mr Wilson said.
Out of these 180 were Catholic.
But because of the religious policy aimed at overhauling the overwhelming majority of Protestants in the old RUC, only 360 officers from those eligible can be taken on.
In previous campaigns Catholic numbers have held up above 30%, but Mr Wilson insisted they have now dropped to a new low of 24%.
He also claimed double standards were operating because a recent recruitment process for undisclosed civilian posts within the PSNI attracted only Catholic applicants.
“Police have now asked for the 50:50 rule to be set aside on this occasion,” he said.
“It seems to be that we will do our utmost to get Catholics in and we really don’t care how many Protestants we turn away.”
But Joe Byrne, one of the nationalist SDLP representatives on the 19-member Policing Board, insisted the religious guidelines were working.
He said: “The 50:50 procedure is a fair and practical way of getting new officers into the full-time service.
“It is working and there is a much bigger percentage of Catholics now applying to join the PSNI than there was in the past.
“That is to be greatly encouraged and welcomed.”
