PSNI to hold recruitment event in Cookstown this evening

THE PSNI will host an information event in Cookstown this evening, part of its latest recruitment drive, as the police service marks its 20th anniversary.

Those interested in becoming police officers are being urged to attend the event in the Burnavon Theatre on Friday from 4pm to 8pm.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the police service was still having difficulty in hiring more officers from a Catholic background.

Figures showed that 75 per-cent of officers recruited in 2020 (144) were Protestant while 24 per-cent (46) were Catholic.

The PSNI said it is hoping to hire 400 student officers from its latest recruitment campaign and one of its ongoing priorities has been to increase the number of Catholic officers.

This week, Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton told Good Morning Ulster “there are still issues in communities about how people feel about the police in both sides”.

“There are so many things that are different for constables joining now, we are more visible, whenever I was a constable we very rarely drove around in a marked police car, now most of our police cars are marked,” he said.

In a social media post published on the Police Mid Ulster Facebook page, a PSNI spokesperson said they wanted their officers to reflect the community.

“Anyone interested in knowing more about making policing a career is welcome to come along and we will be there to answer any questions you may have,” said the spokesperson.

“It is important that the PSNI is diverse and representative of the community. There will be female and male officers from a variety of backgrounds and roles.”