50/50 recruitment renewed for final year
THE PSNI's 50/50 recruitment policy is to be continued for a final year, following a three month consultation period on the effectiveness of the provisions.
Security Minister Paul Goggins, speaking at Northern Ireland Questions, said the Province had been "transformed over the past decade and the changes that have taken place in policing mirror that remarkable transformation".
"Today, Northern Ireland has a police service which has support from across the political spectrum and in all sections of the community," he said.
"The role of the PSNI has also fundamentally changed, with a greater emphasis on community policing."
Mr Goggins said when the temporary 50/50 provisions were introduced in 2001, only 8.3 per cent of the service was Catholic.
By comparison, he said, now 27.68 per cent of the service of 7,300 officers are Catholic.
"It has been necessary to introduce these temporary provisions in order to deal with the historic imbalance but of course it is important that as we move forward with confidence in policing we expect applications to come from all communities, continuing to attract people of the highest calibre," he said.
"The record number of applications for the latest recruitment competition to the PSNI underlines the growing support for the PSNI from young men and women across the community.
"As soon as the 30 per cent target is achieved, the Government will return to Parliament and bring these provisions to an end.
"This is in line with the commitment made in the St Andrews Agreement that the 50/50 recruitment arrangements to the PSNI will lapse when the Patten target for Catholic officers has been achieved."
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Sunday 27 May 2012
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