70 Catholic recruits quit North police

More than 70 Catholic recruits have quit the Northern Ireland Police Service, it was revealed today.

Even though representation from the Catholic community has increased since the introduction of the new policing arrangements, all sorts of pressures have been blamed for numbers dropping out.

These include domestic and work difficulties and republican paramilitary threats.

“One of the main reasons for people leaving was cited as personal reasons, as was individuals failing to meet standards required,” a police spokeswoman said.

“Family and work life was also a factor and this includes people coming under pressure from family and indeed societal pressure to leave.

“Unfortunately a small number of student officers have been advised about their personal security and for some this has resulted in them deciding to leave the organisation.”

Sinn Féin is considering joining the Policing Board oversight committee but Catholic members of scrutiny structures have been threatened by dissident republicans.

Just under 4% of those signed up have left, a total of 99 when non-Catholics are included.

Jane Winter, from the British/Irish Rights Watch pressure group, claimed the 72 drop-outs damaged community confidence in the police.

A form of positive discrimination known as 50/50 recruitment has been adopted by the Police Service of Northern Ireland to ensure half those chosen are Catholic.

It was recommended to overhaul the mainly Protestant force by the September 1999 Patten report into policing.

There are currently 1,574 Catholics in the whole of the PSNI, 20.8% of manpower.

There were 44 student officers and 31 constables who dropped out.

Ms Winter said the figures damaged efforts to make the police service more inclusive.

“The PSNI have not been able to recruit enough Catholic police officers to the force; this is undermining the Patten recommendations and community confidence in the police,” she said.

“This failure is in part due to failings within the PSNI such as an absence of minority representation and partly to external factors such as the intimidation of new recruits.

“These are the sort of teething problems we would expect given the campaign that there’s been on the part of republican dissidents to dissuade people from joining.”

Political and non-political District Policing Partnership members who screen local policing have been targeted across the North for intimidation.

In 2005 SDLP councillor Michael Carr had a device posted to his home in Warrenpoint, Co Down.

An arson attack by republican dissidents in 2003 damaged the home of non-political Londonderry DPP member Marian Quinn and special steps have been taken to protect those who participate in policing.

The PSNI spokeswoman added: “We are on course to meet the Patten target of having 30% of the police service representative of the Catholic community by 2010 with over 30% women.”

In the last recruitment competition there were 7,859 applicants for 220 vacancies.