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THE ATTENDANCE OF a Sinn Féin leader at a police recruitment drive in Northern Ireland has been hailed as “seismic and historic” by the region’s chief constable.
Stormont Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill joined Simon Byrne and other commanders at the event at the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s training college in east Belfast this morning.
Along with DUP First Minister Arlene Foster she posed for pictures holding posters advocating policing as a positive career choice.
It is the first occasion such a senior Sinn Fein figure has attended a recruitment campaign launch for the PSNI and comes amid concern that progress to address under-representation of Catholic officers in the organisation has stalled and is starting to go in a backward direction.
“I think it’s seismic and historic in terms of the history of the PSNI and the commitment we have heard from Sinn Féin today, and indeed all political leaders who have joined us in this launch,” said Byrne.
Police commanders did not know until less than an hour before her arrival that the republican leader would be attending the launch of the campaign to recruit 600 new officers.
Sinn Féin had previously been accused of not doing enough to advocate policing as a career.
Dissident republican targeting of Catholic officers is a key factor in the falling numbers of applications from members of the nationalist community in Northern Ireland.
Byrne, who had urged nationalist and republican leaders to be more vocal in promoting the police, said: “We have called for that support in the past and now people have stood up to that challenge and stepped forward and are encouraging people to join the PSNI so I think it’s an historic day not just for policing but for Northern Ireland.”
O’Neill, who was joined by Sinn Féin policing spokesman Gerry Kelly, said she wanted to achieve a police service that was more representative of the community it serves.
“Clearly the PSNI have launched a very significant, intensive recruitment campaign and we are here because it is no secret that nationalists are under-represented in the police service, that Catholics are under-represented in the police service and, if we are going to have a police service that commands community confidence, then it needs to be reflective of the community it serves, so we are here because of that reason,” she said.
The Deputy First Minister said she wanted to see a return of the controversial 50:50 positive discrimination tool that ensures the PSNI recruits Catholics and Protestants in equal numbers.
She said steps also needed to be taken to address under-representation of women and members of ethnic minorities.
Asked if she would encourage young Catholics to join the police, O’Neill replied: “I think the fact that I am here today speaks volumes in terms of what I am trying to do – we need a PSNI that is reflective of the community in which it serves.”
She highlighted that only one out of every five Catholics who apply for the PSNI is successful.
“There is a big issue here in terms of Catholics being successful in the recruitment process,” she added.
DUP leader Foster welcomed the Sinn Féin move.
“I think it is important because there have been a lot of conversations about the fact that we need to have a police service that reflects Northern Ireland society so I think it’s important that, as leaders, we show leadership and come along to these events to support our police service, so that is significant and I very much welcome it,” she said.
She said the fact there were representatives from across society at the event sent a “very powerful message”.
Foster said it was the “next step” in Sinn Féin’s journey in supporting the police.
“We had been concerned that there hadn’t been members coming along to recruitment and indeed graduation ceremonies so I welcome the fact that Sinn Fein are here today because I think it sends out a good message,” she said.
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Two completely different issues. Aggressive begging is intimidating, and mostly organised, run by a cartel of Roma. Huge difference to homelessness. Anybody who can’t tell the difference is ignorant of the facts. I work in the hospitality industry in the city centre, and our hearts are broken keeping professional beggars from annoying and intimidating our customers. These, believe me, are professional beggars. They are dropped off en-masse and then spread out. In my area they arrive at 6.15pm every Thursday, Friday & Saturday. They co-ordinate their efforts to a T. They usually finish at 11.30pm and then all walk back to their car together. They also have a guy who walks up and down the street collect their money and bring it back to the ‘minder’ who sits in a car on Baggot Street. Monday to Friday another group works from 8am to 5pm, they again are all dropped off, and they take their positions at the parking metres and bank machines along the street. I have been physically threatened by these people when I tried to stop them harassing our customers. I had to call the guards another night to get walked to my own car, as the “money collecting guy” threatened to slit my throat for running them from outside the restaurant. Nasty nasty people. These are not homeless. Please be aware of the difference.
That’s racist. It is part their culture. You must tolerate. Resistance is futile.
Part of your culture to beg ? I would call it just to bloody lazy to work they came over here for two reasons one for the dole and another to peg we should chuck them out if that’s racists fine I can live with that tag
Spot on Timberdog. It’s organised Roma criminal begging gangs. Have seen how they set up on Baggott St and surrounding area. Can’t have a smoke in peace outside a bar in town without a gypsy coming up with their hands out. Parasites.
Just an interesting point here, gypsies from Central Europe, are for some reason terrified of rabbits ! So a rabbits foot dangling in front of there face will quickly get rid of them pestering you
Think you missed the point Marco, I’d say fair play to the restaurant owners, and aggressive begging has become a business for some needs to stop
I just ask them for money before they ask me. Just tell them I need money for beer. Keep on and on at them. Bit of their own medicine is good enough for them.
There should be big, un-missable neon signs warning people NOT to give to beggars. It’s an industry, run by Roma criminal predators. Plenty of charities out there to donate legit to, no need to pay the already State mollycoddled, PAYE funded, scroungers any more free, un-earned loot!!
Why not save all their time and money on stupid surveys and put it into a soup kitchen instead- I’m sure there is plenty of food waste among them all that could be put to practical use.
Do you own or run a restaurant Marko?
Not a regular restaurant runner these days. I find the spandex chaffs something awful.
Picture a tumbleweed Marko… seems I can’t send you a picture of one.
Don’t you all know, the homeless are the new gays, anything negative said about them will be met with a barrage of red thumbs.
I don’t know. I think it’s very possible to criticise the gays. Can’t think of anything right now but if I do think of one, I’ll be right back here. *~*
So now homeless people are meant to be polite and social at all times. As an experiment try sleeping rough for a week and deal with the HSE and see if your full of the joys of spring.
Some people just want to be outraged.
Why all the comments on Roma beggars? I work in the city centre and most of the aggressive begging I see is from Irish people.
I also work in the city. All the aggressive begging is from the Irish. The Roma just sit quietly
Homelessness and begging are two separate issues on planet moron and planet liars.
Stupid crusty.
Read the article properly before jumping on the SJW bandwagon.
The vast majority of homeless people in Ireland are Irish. Aggressive beggars on the other hand…..its their culture, they get state provided housing and such. Homeless people would be lucky to even get a sniff of that kind of government help.
Nicky, Nicky, nicky. The article, and the details provided today, explicitly make the difference between aggressive begging (what this action is about) and ‘regular’ begging (what this article is not about).
No harm done.
The original press release mentions “the interrelated areas of begging, homelessness and addiction”. It is obvious why people are making the connection between the topics and the press release is insensitive and poorly timed.
“Dublin accounts for 47% of national GDP and attracts almost four million visitors a year, that amount of visitors is at risk if this issue continues to be ignored.”
There are surely bigger issues that should be dealt with first “as a matter of urgency”, to use the words of the press release. Like people dying on the streets.
“Let them eat cake”
There’s a fair bit to be irked by in this report. One thing is the fact that it’s only when something affects tourism that the powers that be seem to pay attention. It seems if you’re a taxpayer you’re supposed to put up with it.
There may be merit in constructing a temporary block of container houses (prob in the Phoenix park) to get homeless people off the streets during the harsher weather. There’s obviously a cost, as well as insurance and staffing costs to that too.
Long term, addiction clinics need to be decentralized. How addiction is treated needs to be re-thought. Some people are on methadone for 10+ years. What sort of a system is that.
Controversially, IMO, a large % of social housing in Dublin cc should be sold and used to buy more social homes further out of the city for those who cannot / will not work.
have your say