PSNI’s 50-50 recruitment policy to end
The Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Owen Paterson, has said the policy of 50-50 recruitment to the PSNI will end next Monday.
Mr Paterson said that ten years after the provisions were introduced, almost 30% of police officers serving in Northern Ireland were now from a Catholic background.
In 1999, Catholics only made up 8.3% of the police force, which was then the RUC.
In a statement this afternoon, Mr Paterson said the composition of the PSNI would now be allowed to ‘develop naturally’.
He said he wished to see Catholic representation in Northern Ireland’s police service grow further over time.
