One of the north’s longest serving police officers believes legacy is a “major issue” for Catholics joining the PSNI.
Superintendent Gerry Murray was speaking after chief constable Jon Boutcher confirmed that just 27 percent of potential new recruits are from a Catholic background.
The fresh drive to recruit new officers has attracted around 3,500 applications, with just over one-quarter, around 945, coming from the Catholic community.
Between 2001 and 2011 there was a 50-50 recruitment policy to the PSNI, which resulted in an even number of people from Catholic and Protestant backgrounds joining the force.
Mr Murray, who is the chair of the Catholic Police Guild of Northern Ireland, joined the RUC in 1973 and is one of the PSNI’s best known Catholic officers.
He has now called for an independent review of the PSNI, similar to that carried out by the Baroness Loise Casey into the culture and standards of the Metropolitan Police, which found widespread “discrimination” within the force.
“we need an independent review, like Baroness Casey, to look into, first of all, the culture – is the culture right within the organisation?
“To invite young Catholics into the organisation.”
Mr Murray said one stream of the review should look at “barriers to recruitment”.
“Remember in ten years from now the first of the 50-50….they will be retiring after 35 year’s service,” he said.
“If you were to measure the police on red, amber, green, - we are in the amber.
“But if we don’t do anything for the next ten years to reverse this, we’ll be in the red to try and get people coming forward.”
Mr Murray said it is “all our responsibility to try to influence the Catholic community to look at the police as an opportunity”.
He also said legacy was “a major issue”.
In the past members of the RUC have been linked to collusion with loyalists, while the PSNI has been criticised for withholding key information about sectarian and other murders carried out during the Troubles.
Speaking in his capacity as chair of the Catholic Guild, Mr Murray said he has been approached in a professional capacity and by people at social and sporting events adding that “they do mention the aspect of truth and justice and how long do they have to wait.
Mr Murray revealed that his own family was impacted by the Troubles when his aunt Miss Brigette Murray was killed in July 1972 when around 20 IRA bombs exploded in Belfast claiming the lives of nine people in what became known as Bloody Friday.
“We lost an aunt, aunt Brigette…so, I am victim myself with regards to I want to know the truth,” he said.
“I am speaking with emotional intent, I too have suffered as many others have, and nobody was ever caught for Bloody Friday.”
Mr Murray said he is “very supportive of Jon Boutcher” adding that “he gets it, he gets it about Catholics not coming forward”.
He said he believes the chief constable “will do everything in his power” to encourage Catholics to join the PSNI.
Mr Murray revealed that a St Brigid’s Day Mass was held at the Police College in Garnerville, east Belfast, earlier this month.
He also said the PSNIs GAA team, which he helped found, is “progressing”.
“So there are positives but there’s a long, long way to go…and I do believe a Baroness Casey-style review would do a lot, I believe, to assist the Catholic community in coming forward.”
SDLP Policing Board member Mark H Durkan said: “Jon Boucher as Chief Constable has led with purpose, but when it comes to the perception of the police service the harm had been done and confidence reduced.
“The reasons for this go further and deeper, particularly when it comes to legacy issues which have been deeply damaging.”
