The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) must move beyond the “craze of woke quotas”, the DUP leader Gavin Robinson has said, following a suggestion to reintroduce a 50-50 recruitment policy for the force.
Mr Robinson said the policy concerning Protestant and Catholic members, which ran for a number of years until 2011, undermined “meritocracy, deepened division and ignored real policing challenges”.
He said he had been contacted by a mother who is concerned her son will not get a training place because he is “male, white, heterosexual and a Protestant”.
His comments come after PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said the number of Catholics applying to join the force is lower than he would like to see.
About 3,500 applications have been received in the latest recruitment campaign for the PSNI, which closed on Wednesday. Of those, about 27 per cent were from people who identify as Catholic.
PSNI officer numbers are at 6,300, which Mr Boutcher said is “below where they need to be” – with the aim to increase the total to 7,000.
In his weekly message to DUP members, Mr Robinson said policing should be about “ability, not religion”.
“Some nationalist commentators suggested the reintroduction of 50-50 recruitment. That means 50 per cent of all recruits must be Catholic and 50 per cent non-Catholic,” he said.
“Selecting recruits based on faith rather than competence sends the wrong message about the PSNI’s priorities. It risks lowering standards and discouraging talented individuals from even considering the job.”
Mr Robinson added that “no one should be denied an opportunity to be a police officer simply because of their religion, or lack thereof”.
“Rather than imposing artificial quotas, efforts should focus on addressing any remaining barriers to Catholic recruitment through leadership within nationalism, not discrimination against others. Let’s remember it took Sinn Féin 20 years to even attend a PSNI recruitment launch.”
He said the real challenge for the PSNI “is not religious balance but recruitment and retention overall”.
“Officers are leaving due to rising violence and job pressures. Addressing these core issues, rather than asking applicants’ religion, sexuality or gender, should be the focus,” he said.
“Fair, open recruitment based on skill and commitment is the best way to build a trusted, effective police force. The people I meet have moved beyond the craze of woke quotas and the PSNI must do the same.” – PA
