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Police chief says 50-50 recruitment not necessary at present

Julian O'NeillCrime and justice correspondent, BBC News NI
News imagePA Media Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher is speaking into a microphone. He is sitting in front of a large blue poster which has the words 'Northern Ireland Policing Board' on it. He is wearing a white shirt which has police badges on both shoulders and also a black tie. PA Media
Jon Boutcher was questioned by members of the Policing Board on Thursday

A return to recruiting equal numbers of Catholics and non-Catholics is "not necessary at present" the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) chief constable has said.

Jon Boutcher, however did not rule out the reintroduction of a 50-50 recruitment policy, saying "nothing is off the table".

He was taking questions from members of the Policing Board after the PSNI's most recent new officer campaign attracted the lowest percentage of Catholic applicants in more than a decade.

It has resulted in Sinn Fein and the SDLP calling for a return of 50-50 recruitment.

Boutcher listed a number of factors against the policy, such as the dissident republican threat, and questioned whether all sections of the community were encouraging people to join.

Some board members also raised a Police Ombudsman report on officers who abused their position for sexual purposes.

Boutcher promised a zero tolerance approach on this category of misconduct.

"There is no place for these people in the PSNI," he said.

"We will find them and we will sack them."

What was 50-50 recruitment?

News imageGetty Images A police cordon has been placed along a street in Belfast city centre. A male police officer in full uniform is standing beside the cordon but looking away from the camera. A female police officer is standing beside a white van which is concealed behind the cordon. Getty Images
Introduced in 2001, the 50-50 recruitment process was scrapped 10 years later

In 2001, following a policing reform report from former Conservative Party MP Chris Patten ,the Royal Ulster Constabulary, which was overwhelmingly Protestant, was renamed as the PSNI.

One of the aims was to build broader community support and increase Catholic officers.

The 50-50 process was introduced as part of the Patten policing reforms.

When it was first introduced, Catholics made up about 8% of the police.

The 50-50 system was scrapped in 2011, when the then Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson said the practice could no longer be justified.

The PSNI has about 6,300 officers - 67% of whom are "perceived Protestant" and 32% of whom are "perceived Catholic".

'No need for public inquiry' into journalist surveillance

At Thursday's meeting, Boutcher was also questioned about police surveillance of journalists.

He was answering questions about the unlawful targeting of former BBC reporter Vincent Kearney.

The chief constable told the meeting that a public inquiry into police surveillance of journalists in unnecessary.

Amnesty International and the National Union of Journalists called for an inquiry after Kearney's case was heard at the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) last week.

But Boutcher said: "There is no need for any public inquiry here."

He pointed out that an independent review on the issue, conducted by Angus McCullough KC, had found surveillance was not "widespread or systemic".

"Nobody is covering anything up in the PSNI," he said.

Boutcher added that McCullough would do follow up work once the IPT delivers its ruling in the Kearney case.

He said it would be "inappropriate" to comment on the case until then, but he added Kearney was an "outstanding journalist" who had done nothing wrong.