No going back to 50/50 policy

SO, Alban Maginness (Comment, Feb 17) is back to wanting 50/50 police recruitment.

I have no problem with the police reflecting the make-up of the community they serve, but I do have a problem with positive discrimination.

Part of the recruitment problem is that Catholics are reluctant to joint hep sn if or a variety of reasons.

However, let us assume, for the sake of argument, that we go back again to Alban’s desired 50/50recruitment.

The Chief Constable wants to recruit 50 officers, but only 15 Catholics apply; that restricts him to being able to recruit only 30 officers until he can find more Catholics to make up the numbers.

That also means that 20 willing recruits are refused positions, not because they are unsuitable, but because they are Protestant. That is what happened the last time we had 50/50 recruitment.

Let us further consider that among our 50 applicants we have Muslims, Sikhs or other ethnic groups represented. Where do they fit into the 50/50 scenario?

I thought that, after more than 20 years, we would be beyond this sort of discussion, but then, we find very little in the Belfast Agreement that, when push comes to shove, supports the Protestant/unionist/loyalist position.

The irony in Alban’s article is that the police officers at the “ham-fisted” incident that has provoked him (the Ormeau Road commemoration) were 50% Protestant and 50% Catholic, but that didn’t prevent the inevitable condemnation of the PSNI.

RAYMOND HUGHES Ballyclare, Co Antrim