Recruitment up as 1,000 police in North on sick leave

Recruitment into the new Police Service of Northern Ireland is two thirds higher than planned because of the on-going level of violence, Northern Secretary John Reid revealed today.

The Patten Report on the future of policing recommended that the full-time police force should be reduced from 11,500 to 7,500 over 10 years if the security situation did not deteriorate and the peace process collapse.