Polish police recruits
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has been inundated by applications
from young Poles desperate to become officers.
And the wave of hopeful candidates brings with it positive implications
for a service trying to recruit more Catholics.
Nearly 1,000 of the North’s burgeoning Polish community have responded
to a police recruitment drive — nearly all are Catholics.
Poles accounted for 12 percent of the 7,749 applicants, which could provide
a lifeline for a force that has struggled to attract Catholic recruits.
But the move will not be popular in Poland. A report by the Polish police
force that was leaked recently complained of a shortfall in Poland of
up to 16,000 officers because of the vast numbers flocking to Ireland
and Britain.
Under the policing reforms the PSNI must recruit Catholics and non-Catholics
equally and currently only 21 per cent of its officers are Catholic.
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