The transformation of policing in Northern Ireland was one of the great achievements of the peace process. Replacing the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) – a force that drew overwhelmingly from the Protestant, unionist community – with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) was a substantive departure. Had that rate of progress continued, Catholics today would make up 45 per cent of all serving PSNI officers. In Northern Ireland, in a very real sense, political and social stability are intimately connected to the public standing of the police. But Northern Ireland is not a normal society.

Source: The Irish Times January 05, 2020 18:56 UTC