Large rise in RC police numbers
THE amount of Catholic police officers in Northern Ireland has increased from just eight per cent of the total police force in 2001 when the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) was disbanded to almost 30 per cent today.
Currently, 29.76 per cent of the PSNI are Catholic. Secretary of State Owen Paterson was asked for details of the religious breakdown of the police service here in 2001.
Last week he told parliament: “The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) came into being on 4 November 2001, by virtue of section 1 of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000.
“At that time there was a total of 9,446 police officers, including reserve officers. Of that total 756 were Catholic, 8,305 were Protestant and 385 were of undetermined community background.”