Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland

Affirmative action in Northern Ireland denotes proactive measures seeking to redress inequalities experienced by a particular group.

Such actions have led to the NI approach of addressing inequality of opportunity to be considered as "radically different" to the rest of the United Kingdom (UK).

"[5] The Cameron Report[6] identified that incidents of misconduct in the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), such as the widely televised unrest erupting from the Civil Rights March on 5 October 1968, added weight its public perception as a Protestant organisation.

[7] The NI Affairs Committee[8] noted that ‘whether criticism of the force has been justified or not, it is the case that any settlement in Northern Ireland involves policing issues’.

The report was a comprehensive plan including proactive measures regarding gender equality, community awareness training and changing the culture and ethos of the police.

[20] Whilst the Patten proposals were largely accepted by the Secretary of State, the temporary 50:50 recruitment measure was not universally welcomed.

Fredman argues that affirmative action programmes can lead to greater integration of minorities within the community which can, in turn, help to reduce inequalities.

[24] Sally Wokes[25] highlights that affirmative action violates the essential principle of equality, suggesting that it is likely to increase tensions between communities and lead to the stigmatisation of those groups which benefit.

Owen Paterson[27] viewed this result as a ‘tremendous change’[28] which was at the top end of the Patten Report’s critical mass.

[32] Nevertheless, the discriminatory impact on other communities, specifically Protestant, has been acknowledged against this context of increasing Catholic representation and support for the police.

Given the close alignment between the political context and policing, the affirmative action measures and their effectiveness will constantly be subject to review and evaluation.

It is possible that the compositional improvements of the PSNI may have influenced the Metropolitan Police in London to call for positive action measures to increase the representation of ethnic minorities.