Why must there be a 50:50 recruitment policy?
The 50:50 policy was recommended by the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland (Patten) as a means of making the police service representative of the community. In September 2001 the composition of PSNI was 8.2% Catholic and 91.8% Non-Catholic. Five years on, regular officers in the Police Service are made up of 20.1% Catholic and 79.9% non-Catholic officers.
Many view this as positive discrimination, but it is a necessary requirement to redress the religious imbalance. The legislation provides for a review of the 50:50 legislation. This review took place in 2003 and Government renewed the provisions in March 2004. The legislation was renewed in March 2007.
Why does 50:50 recruitment not apply above Constable level?
The legislation dictates that 50:50 will apply at Constable level.
The purpose of 50:50 is to effect compositional change in terms of religion and this is best done at the level where recruitment takes place in large numbers i.e. at Constable level.
What measures do PSNI take to ensure that ethnic minorities are not adversely impacted upon during the recruitment process?
PSNI conducted research in 2005 entitled “Attracting Applicants from Minority Ethnic Backgrounds to the PSNI” to determine the attitudes of people from minority ethnic groups in Northern Ireland to joining the PSNI. The research which covered the period 2001 to 2005, had two key aims; namely to identify the main factors influencing the attitudes of minority ethnic communities in NI towards a career in the PSNI and to develop a series of recommendations to increase the number of applications from minority ethnic groups.
The report makes a number of recommendations such as; building better relationships by developing and implementing an effective strategy to tackle hate crime; developing a regular programme of ‘Station Open Days’; supporting community events; welcoming applications by using advertorial style articles in publications read by members of the minority ethnic communities; using images of people from minority ethnic backgrounds in recruitment advertising; obtaining feedback from minority ethnic applicants on the recruitment process; and providing information on the recruitment process by producing a ‘day in the life’ style information video; delivering a programme of ‘career talks’ in schools; producing an additional detailed career information pack and providing seminars for Career Teachers. The Policing Board continues to monitor the level of applications and successful recruits to PSNI from ethnic minority communities.
Are PSNI recruitment figures available to the public?
The recruitment figures are collated by the PSNI Recruitment Branch and are brought to the Policing Board following every recruitment campaign. The information is available to the public and the Policing Board will issue press releases following each recruitment campaign.
Does the Policing Board feel that the recruitment cost of £10,000 per officer is value for money?
Given the importance of the task that individuals are being recruited to undertake and the potential for them to be in post for between 25 and 30 years the Policing Board is satisfied that a rigorous and sophisticated recruitment process is in place. Such processes are not cheap, but the Policing Board is confident that a good recruitment process is an investment in the long term future not just of the officer but of the police service as whole.
As with all processes, the need to achieve both efficiency and effectiveness is of paramount importance and all opportunities to ensure that the best outcome is achieved in the most cost effective way are considered by PSNI who manage the Consensia contract.
What is the Board doing in relation to the recruitment of minority ethnic communities to PSNI?
The Board is responsible for monitoring the recruitment of regular officers and does this by receiving regular reports following each recruitment campaign. The Board also receives an update from Consensia once a year.
In 2005 Consensia conducted research which covered the period 2001 to the present, to identify the main factors influencing the attitudes of minority ethnic communities in NI towards a career in the PSNI and to develop a series of recommendations to increase the number of applications from minority ethnic groups. The Board monitors PSNI’s activity in relation to implementation of these recommendations and the recruitment of applicants from ethnic minority backgrounds.
What is the policy for reducing the Probationary period for officers who have previously served in other police services?
There is provision for officers who have served in other police services to have their probationary periods reduced but each case is considered by the PSNI on its own merit.
This policy does not apply to ex Full Time Reserve Officers as these officers did not complete a full probationary period in the Reserve equivalent to regular officer standards.
Officers need to bear in mind that trainers and the Chief Constable need to be content that the officers they are putting out on the street can do the job. Otherwise there are health and safety issues and other cost issues. The probationary period is the most effective way of ensuring that training is then put into practice with supervision.
As the trainers constantly say, it isn’t police officers that graduate, it is probationer Constables.