Increasing numbers of Catholics are refusing to join the Police Service of Northern Ireland because they fear being attacked, it was claimed today.
As Chief Constable Hugh Orde faces new demands to halt a rising tide of crime that is draining public confidence in his force, a major assessment of police performance revealed the problems in achieving religious balance.
Even though the Policing Board's annual report confirmed Catholic staffing levels in the staunchly Protestant service rose from 8.9 per cent to 11.7 per cent, survey results show why more will not come forward.
Fear of intimidation or attack on themselves or their relatives was cited as a deterrent by 72 per cent of Catholics questioned in 2002, compared with 65 per cent 12 months earlier.
Results from the Community Attitudes poll carried out for the Policing Board do not take into account a campaign of death threats by dissident republicans against nationalists involved in the new policing arrangements.
The 2002-2003 report also demanded more action from the force to fight growing burglary and theft levels. Prof Desmond Rea, chairman of the board, declared: "The clear message is they must do better."
Police chiefs earned praise, however, for areas where performance was up on last year.
Targets set for cutting the rate of increase in overall crime were easily met as the rise was slashed from 17 per cent last year to just 2 per cent.
PA