Spending on police recruitment overhauled

Spending on advertisements to attract recruits into the new Police Service of Northern Ireland have been doubled in the Republic, cut almost in half in the North and slashed by almost two thirds in Britain.

In a bid to increase the number of Catholics in the police in Northern Ireland recruitment is taking place on a 50/50, Catholic-Protestant basis.

But Ulster Unionist Lord Rogan said tonight that while he supported the need to encourage more Catholics to join up, he was distressed the latest advertising campaign appeared to have been ‘‘geared almost exclusively in that direction’’.

He said publications targeted in the second campaign in Britain ‘‘stand as testimony to this’’.

He was speaking after he was given a government answer to a parliamentary question tabled in the House of Lords.

That revealed advertising in Great Britain in the second recruitment competition was placed in The Universe, The Catholic Times, The Irish Post, The Irish World and the Police Review.

The first competition had been targeted on the Glasgow Evening Herald, Edinburgh Evening News, Manchester Evening News, Birmingham Evening Mail, Evening Standard (London) and Liverpool Echo.

The answer from Lord Williams of Mostyn, who speaks for the British government on Northern Ireland matters in the House of Lords, also showed the change in spending patterns between the first and second recruitment competitions.

First time around spending in Northern Ireland was £241,840 (€393,022), but reduced to £126,575 (€205,701) for the second round.

Spending in the 26 counties rose from £31,964 (€51,948) to £70,175 (€114,050) and in Great Britain fell from £46,730 (€75,942) to £15,600 (€25,352).

Spending outside the British Isles remained fairly static - £7,620 (€12,384) rising to £8,602 (€13,980).

Lord Rogan said Ulster Unionists had warned the British government of the dangers of so-called positive discrimination during debates on policing in both Houses of Parliament.

‘‘To my mind, all discrimination can only be regarded as negative,’’ he added.