Catholics are put off the PSNI by the threat of terrorism

The Police Federation has said that Sinn Fein’s “qualified support” for the PSNI is hampering efforts to recruit more candidates from a nationalist background (‘SF could do more to support police,’ December 12).

Probably true but is that the sole or even the main deterrent?

Some folk might think that perfectly justifiable fear of being the victim of a targeted IRA murder like those of the two Catholic officers, Stephen Carroll and Ronan Kerr, and the attempt to kill Peadar Heffron, was and still is much more effective in preventing others from the nationalist community from joining than a bit tutting of finger wagging by Sinn Fein.

Davy Wight, Carrick