Recruits for the new Northern Ireland Police Service will not be automatically disqualified if they have committed minor criminal offences.
According to the Belfast Telegraph, new regulations for vetting recruits for the PSNI mean that applicants with convictions for such offences as disorderly behaviour, drunkenness or public disorder will be permitted to join at the discretion of the Chief Constable.
The RUC press office said it could not confirm the report but a spokeswoman for the Consensia partnership, which is carrying out much of the selection process, said although vetting of candidates was an RUC matter, she understood the regulations were in line with recommendations in the Patten report on policing.