Policing in Northern Ireland wobbling again.

[Medic_Cop22]

So,

The ever impartial Irish news recently ran a story that claimed that four out of five recruits to the PSNI are from the Prod community compared to just one from the Catholic community.

DCC Martin has said that if this trend continues then politicians will have to consider reinstituting the 50:50 Catholic : Protestant system of recruitment.

Deary me.

How depressing that 20 years on the same barriers exist in the minds of nationalists on policing.

Although I heard Gerry Kelly on the radio this morning saying he would like to see more people from a nationalist background in the PSNI to better reflect the composition of NI. To eliminate conditions that brought about nationalist distrust of the RUC before. Those glasses must be very tinted.

 

[Old Stab]

Oh dear, how sad, never mind.

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Perhaps Mr Kelly should look into the Catholic community and see why their youth are not signing up?
Could it be years of ingrained sectarian attitudes,family pressures or warnings from the RIRA ( or whatever they are this week) not to step up?

 

[RUCFOREVER]

50-50 = lower standards .

 

[dun_n_dusted]

50-50 = lower standards .

Only for 50%

 

[W P]

I could sort-of sympathise with the idea of accepting an equal percentage of applicants from each 'community', but 50:50 regardless of the number of applicants is daft.

What more can be done about boosting the level of interest in a PSNI career amongst Catholics/republicans?

 

[MOzanne]

I could sort-of sympathise with the idea of accepting an equal percentage of applicants from each 'community', but 50:50 regardless of the number of applicants is daft.

Well there's only a few available choices....

1) Throttle recruitment to twice the number of catholic applicants..... Who needs to sustain their current establishment anyway
2)Add a substantial left-footer incentive to terms and conditions... who cares about pissing off the majority of the workforce.
3)Drop the entry standards for catholic applicants..... all faults are trainable, right?
4)Audit your selection and personnel processes for prejudice and obstacles to catholic participation. If there aren't any that it's possible for PSNI to do something about.. well fcuk it you tried....

 

[foggy_balla]

Also, the pay for probies is shite. 23k!? Would you seriously risk your life for that? What sane person wants that grief. There is a huge skills shortage across Northern Ireland. You can walk into an IT job or similar that pays more money and with zero risk of anyone trying to stick a bomb under your car.

Take into account the usual deductions, including pension contributions. My neighbour joined recently. Admitted after deductions his take home is around £1400 a month. Not a great financial incentive for all the usual stresses that come with the job, shift work, curtailments on his private life. Never mind checking under the car every morning and looking over your shoulder constantly. Previously was a prison officer. He reckons it’s going to be 6-7 years before his wages reach parity with what he was earning before becoming a peeler. My guess is that there’s a tradition of joining the cops and military within prod/unionist families. Always been seen as a solid and decent career choice. Even with shite wages and conditions such tradition of service will still attract people from that community. Less so from the “green” side of the fence which means it needs to be sold as a viable option. Id say many young Catholics/nats are thinking, “why do it if you can earn as much, or more elsewhere and with none of the baggage that comes with being a peeler?”
I disagree with DCC Martin. What he’s effectively saying is that we’ll accept lower scoring and lesser candidates in order to conform to a sectarian headcount. It’s nonsense.

 

[W P]

Well there's only a few available choices....

1) Throttle recruitment to twice the number of catholic applicants..... Who needs to sustain their current establishment anyway
2)Add a substantial left-footer incentive to terms and conditions... who cares about pissing off the majority of the workforce.
3)Drop the entry standards for catholic applicants..... all faults are trainable, right?
4)Audit your selection and personnel processes for prejudice and obstacles to catholic participation. If there aren't any that it's possible for PSNI to do something about.. well fcuk it you tried....

I think we agree that preferential treatment for Catholic/republican applicants is a bad idea. I'm talking about increasing the number of applicants, not selecting a disproportionately large number from the small pool they're getting at the moment. They've been making an effort, but I'm not sure what more they can do given the circumstances (as Medic_Cop22 alluded to).

 

[dingerr]

I wonder what the percentages are in England, Scotland or Wales. Not that it matters, such levels of bigotry don’t exist there.

 

[blackmetallic]

I wonder what the percentages are in England, Scotland or Wales. Not that it matters, such levels of bigotry don’t exist there.

Ah, how I miss Strathclyde Police

 

[MOzanne]

But with policing we had a genuine outreach, change of name from the boogeyman, the RUC (hated equally by loyalists it has to be said, they were that good!), and a PSNI recruitment process set in motion heavily in favor the Nationalist community.

Is there anything else left that can be usefully and feasibly done? Second officers from the Garda maybe? Or do we just say your call....

 

[MrBane]

Or they could all just grow up and get over this pathetic shite.

 

[Medic_Cop22]

Or they could all just grow up and get over this pathetic shite.

If only.

 

[vvaannmmaann]

Also, the pay for probies is shite. 23k!?

My Grandad was a Black and Tan.He got 10 shillings a day plus food and lodgings.

 

[Medic_Cop22]

Second officers from the Garda maybe?

Jesus what next!?

Romanian cops in Ballymena?

 

[Medic_Cop22]

My Grandad was a Black and Tan.He got 10 shillings a day plus food and lodgings.

Bet the free scoff was good. Beating catholic women over the head with a baton would work up quite the appetite I’m sure.

 

[MOzanne]

Jesus what next!?

Just thinking out loud, if Garda officers can stomach a tour and be seen to do a good job. It might take away some of the fear of associating with PSNI... Of course the Garda might think that PSNI are the spawn of Satan

Romanian cops in Ballymena?

I can see it going one of two ways.... wealthy coppers retiring early with unexplained wealth. Or lots of dead paddies...

 

[Fiona_TG]

Surely the powers that be didn't expect an overnight rush of applicants from the Nationalist side, if balance can ever be restored at all it is going to take decades, even with the smartest and best strategies applied with vigour. I would suggest looking at progress over time, what have the figures and analysis shown in the last 20 years? If Catholics have been taking on the job in increasing numbers however gentle the rise I would view that as success and look at how to build on that.

Better pay/Ts&Cs all round are deserved and needed I would add.

 

[Medic_Cop22]

Just thinking out loud, if Garda officers can stomach a tour and be seen to do a good job. It might take away some of the fear of associating with PSNI... Of course the Garda might think that PSNI are the spawn of Satan



I can see it going one of two ways.... wealthy coppers retiring early with unexplained wealth. Or lots of dead paddies...

Paging @RUCFOREVER ,@British_And_Proud & @foggy_balla