Recruitment to the Police Service in Northern Ireland could cease unless the anti-discrimination employment rule is suspended, it was claimed today.
With Chief Constable Hugh Orde revealing a dismal response from Catholics, representatives of the rank and file warned the policy of equal representation in the training college would have to change in order to keep up numbers and maintain an effective force.
As part of future policing arrangements there has to be the same number of Catholics and Protestants signing up. But instead of a maximum of 60 officers graduating, some of the classes have been as low as 34 because of a failure of Catholics to take up places.
"It is conceivable that in certain extreme circumstances recruitment could cease altogether," according to a police federation magazine editorial.
It claimed the rigid application of the same rule was also starving the force of civilian support staff which was having a serious effect on policing.
The editorial added: "The religion of an officer has not mattered to members of the public in distress in the past. Why should it matter now?
"The time is rapidly approaching when the 50-50 rule should be suspended simply to bring the service up to strength.
"We may not wish to persist with an unrepresentative police service, but there is absolutely no merit in having an under-strength one."
As part of his attempts to strengthen the criminal investigation department, the Chief Constable is set to recruit as many as 35 detectives from forces spread throughout the UK.
But because of early retirement in the aftermath of the Patten proposals for sweeping reforms he still needs hundreds more officers.
Mr Orde said every available officer was out on the streets combating crime and paramilitarism. He earlier disclosed that just 10 per cent of successful applicants for civilian posts were Catholic.
"The facts are quite stark. We have 26 successful people from the Catholic community, and around 250 non-Catholics. That means I can only recruit 52, and it makes it harder. It's going to take a lot longer than I had hoped because of 50-50."
PA