Background to the Recruitment of Trainee Police Constables on behalf of the Police Service of Northern Ireland
Prior to the publication of the Report of the Independent Commission on Policing, for most people in Northern Ireland there had been a real concern about the ways in which the Police Service of Northern Ireland could be different and how it could become more representative of the whole community. To help you understand how this could come about, we are providing you here with an overview of what was intended and how it impacts on the recruitment process. In addition, we have outlined subsequent progress made in implementing the recommendations outlined in the Commission’s report.
The Patten Commission made extensive recommendations about Policing in Northern Ireland, having taken as its starting point the Good Friday Agreement, which:
Provides the opportunity for a new beginning to Policing in Northern Ireland with a police service capable of attracting and sustaining support from the community as a whole
.
The Patten Commission went on to say that:
Communities as a whole should see themselves as having a stake in the police service as a whole. If all communities see the police as their police there will be a better, cooperative partnership between community and police, and therefore more effective policing
.
A wide range of changes were outlined in the Report of the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland Implementation Plan and the Updated Implementation Plan. Of particular relevance for your application are:
- the appointment of a new police recruitment agent (Deloitte, previously referred to as The Consensia Partnership) and involvement of lay assessors in the police recruitment process;
- special measures to change the composition of the Police Service and make it more representative of the community it serves;
- a new Training, Education and Development Strategy for the Police Service, covering both recruits and serving officers, and a new purpose built Police College.
The changes in the composition of the Police Service to make it more representative of the whole community were brought about in part through the recruitment process and the 50/50 legislation.
The community as a whole had involvement in and oversight of the recruitment process through Independent Community Observers who were concerned that the administration of the process was fair, and through trained Lay Assessors who participated in the assessment of candidates.
This overall approach and the recruitment process were designed to achieve the aim of creating a Police Service of Northern Ireland that is representative of the whole community. This resulted in the regular Police Service now comprising over 29 per cent Catholic, which is a significant increase from the 8 per cent reported by the Independent Commission in 1999.
For further information on the full background to and detail of the changes in policing in Northern Ireland please refer to the Relevant Reading section.