Overview
- On Friday Micheál Martin became the first taoiseach to attend a Police Service of Northern Ireland attestation, with outlets reporting 36 newly conferred officers at the Garnerville training college.
- PSNI Chief Constable Jon Boutcher and Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant joined the ceremony, and Boutcher used the occasion to say lack of active political encouragement is the single biggest barrier to a truly representative force.
- The event closed a week of 25th‑anniversary commemorations for the PSNI, which replaced the Royal Ulster Constabulary after the Patten Commission’s reforms following the Good Friday Agreement.
- A 50:50 recruitment policy used in the force’s first decade ended in 2011; Catholic representation rose from around 8% in the RUC to just over 30% in the PSNI and has plateaued since.
- Officials are now pushing fresh recruitment drives and asking political parties, community groups and churches to publicly encourage applications, a move aimed at strengthening public trust and the PSNI’s long‑term legitimacy.