Police Service of Northern Ireland

Mr. Laurence Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of Police Service of Northern Ireland police officers are Catholic.

Paul Goggins
As of 1 January 2010, the percentage of Catholic police officers in the Police Service of Northern Ireland was 27.68 per cent.

Mr. Laurence Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of those who apply to join the Police Service of Northern Ireland as police officers are Catholic.

Paul Goggins
Since the inception of the PSNI there have been 15 recruitment campaigns. 37.33 per cent. of applicants for these competitions indicated their religious background as Catholic.

Mr. Laurence Robertson
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) Catholics and (b) non-Catholics were recruited as police officers by the Police Service of Northern Ireland in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins
During the course of the 2009 calendar year, 201 Catholics and 209 non-Catholics were recruited to the PSNI.