Police in Northern Ireland plan to increase Catholic representation

The police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has launched an action plan to tackle the shortage of Catholics joining the force, but it has ruled out a return to the controversial 50/50 recruitment policy which stated that there should be an equal number of Catholics and Protestants in the service, writes Carina Murphy.

Only 31 per cent of those who applied during three recent police recruitment drives were from Catholic backgrounds, while only 19 per cent of those who made it through to the merit pool were Catholic. This is despite nationalist communities being specifically targeted in the recruitment process. Based on the age profile of the working population of Northern Ireland, the proportion of applications from those with Catholic backgrounds should have been closer to 45 per cent.

Deputy Chief Constable Drew Harris said changes to the recruitment process will include “redesigning the Join PSNI website, reducing the timescales for anyone applying and introducing an online initial selection test”.

A new recruitment drive will be launched in the autumn and an advertising campaign will target areas across Northern Ireland where it has been difficult to attract Catholics. The action plan follows research by Deloitte – “Understanding Barriers Affecting Police Officer Recruitment” – which found that many applicants from Catholic backgrounds feared negative reactions from their community, and for the security of their family. Those keeping their application a secret were likely to suffer additional stress and be reluctant to sit an exam at a centre surrounded by unfamiliar people. The process time of 12 months was also found to be a deterrent.

Significantly higher numbers of Catholics also withdrew during the early stages of the recruitment process – 34 per cent compared to 26 per cent of other applicants.

Deputy Chief Constable Harris said recruitment could reach 50 per cent within five years if political and civic society worked with the PSNI.