Catholics made up less than a quarter of successful applicants in a new recruitment drive for the PSNI, it was claimed today.
With strict 50:50 religious employment guidelines in place, unionists insist hundreds of Protestants regarded as officer material had been rejected.
Mr Sammy Wilson, Democratic Unionist member of the Policing Board, declared: "It is absolutely perverse that twice as many Protestants get turned away as Catholics who are accepted."
New figures show that in the fourth recruitment process for the Police Service of Northern Ireland 748 candidates made it through, Mr Wilson said.
Out of these 180 were from the Roman Catholic tradition.
But because of the religious policy aimed at overhauling the overwhelming majority of Protestants in the old Royal Ulster Constabulary, only 360 officers from those eligible can be taken on.
In previous campaigns Catholic numbers have held up above 30 per cent, but Mr Wilson insisted they have now dropped to a new low of 24 per cent.
But Mr Joe Byrne, one of nationalist SDLP representatives on the 19-member Policing Board, insisted the religious guidelines were working.
He said: "The 50:50 procedure is a fair and practical way of getting new officers into the full-time service.
"It is working and there is a much bigger percentage of Catholics now applying to join the PSNI than there was in the past.
"That is to be greatly encouraged and welcomed."
PA