Increasing numbers from the Irish Republic applying to join the North's new police force are masking local Catholics' reluctance to apply, according to a UUP Policing Board member.
As a third recruitment drive was launched yesterday, figures showed that around one in seven applicants in the last campaign were from the Republic. Ulster Unionist Policing Board member Mr Fred Cobain said: "It is ludicrous that you have a large proportion of Catholics from outside the State joining.
"This process was about getting Catholics in Northern Ireland to play a role in policing here rather than just filling numbers. But it seems the Catholic community are not totally on board."
New television advertisements for the police force were screened last night. The Consensia Partnership, which is overseeing the campaign, insisted Catholic support for the police service was increasing. A total of 525 out of 3,500 applicants in the second recruitment drive were from the Republic, according to Consensia. The vice-chairman of the Policing Board, Mr Denis Bradley, said the figures showed young Catholics were increasingly interested in joining.