Race, religion, sexuality: PSNI say ‘recruits will progress on merit alone’

The PSNI has been asked if it will take religion, race, sex or sexuality into account when it comes to choosing its new officers.
By Adam Kula
Published 3rd Nov 2021, 05:00 BST
General view of officers on dutyGeneral view of officers on duty
General view of officers on duty

For example, if the PSNI faced a situation where there were two equally qualified people for the job, would recruiters use someone’s racial or religious characteristics et cetera to choose between them?

It was also asked if police have a target system for its workforce composition in terms of race/ethnicity/sex/sexuality, etc?

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The PSNI responded to the News Letter saying: “The PSNI is committed to being representative of the community we serve and we welcome all applicants interested in a career in policing.

“Please be assured that all applicants to this recruitment process will be treated fairly and progress throughout the various stages on merit alone.

“In terms of ensuring fairness to all candidates, there is also a requirement under the Police (Recruitment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2001, for the recruitment process to be outsourced to an external providers and for Lay Assessors to work alongside professional assessors in selecting applicants to form a pool of qualified applicants.

“There is also a requirement to have in place Independent Community Observers to ensure the adequacy of the facilities and arrangements and whether, so far as practicable, the same procedures were applied to all candidates.”

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