Almost 7,000 applications to join PSNI
Almost 7,000 people have applied to join the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in its latest recruitment campaign.
Deputy Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said he was “pleased” and “encouraged” by the number of people interested in a career with the PSNI.
The closing date for applications was this week and Mr Hamilton said: “We launched our recruitment campaign for student officers at the start of February and I am pleased to say that our preliminary figures show that in just over three weeks we have received 6,961 applications.
“I am encouraged to see the number of people who have shown an interest in a career in the police service from across all sections of the community. This is an increase of over 700 applications from our 2018 campaign.”
Almost a third of those who applied are from the Catholic community – 2,158, up from 1,935 in 2018 – and 40 per cent of the applicants are female.
Mr Hamilton said each of the applicants would now commence a “rigorous multi-stage process”, which will include an online initial selection test and assessment centre to ensure that “the very best candidates” are offered a place on the training programme.
“Successful applicants will be invited to complete 23 weeks of training at the Police College where they will develop practical and operational policing skills, to ensure they are mentally and physically equipped to perform the important role of a police officer,” said Mr Hamilton.
Successful applicants are expected to begin training from the autumn.
