The 2026 student officer recruitment campaign closed earlier this month
The Police Service of Northern Ireland announced that it has received over 4,000 applications for its 2026 student officer recruitment drive.
This year’s campaign closed on Wednesday, February 4, with a total of 4,104 applications received and while numbers were down from 2025’s 4,822 amount, PSNI said the results were encouraging.
The service’s Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said: “I am very encouraged to see a vast number of people who have shown an interest in applying for a career in policing from across all sections of the community. It is the profession that all other public services turn to at a time of crisis, and the rewards of a career in policing are immeasurable.
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“Policing is a unique career, it’s not simply a job, it’s a vocation. It’s a role that people can be quick to criticise, yet those very critics will always call us when they need help, and we will always be there for them whatever their background, culture or religion. We are a police service for everyone.
“I wish all of the applicants the very best as they will now commence a rigorous multi-stage process. This will ensure that the very best candidates are offered a place on our intensive 22-week training programme at the Police College, Garnerville. Here student officers will develop practical and operational skills alongside our expert trainers, to ensure they are mentally and physically equipped to perform the important role of a police officer. I appeal to people from all backgrounds to consider policing as a career. If you become a police officer you will make a positive difference to so many people’s lives.”
This year’s results saw a slight rise in applications from those from an ethnic minority background, and interest from prospective male recruits. 63.5% of applicants in this year’s drive were males, compared to 62.6% in 2025. Those who applied from ethnic minority backgrounds raised from 3.9% to 4.2% this year.
Catholic applicants fell percentage wise from 28.8% in 2025 to 26.7% in the most recent campaign. Protestant applicants stayed in similar percentages with 65.4% of the pool last year and 65.6% of the total this time around.
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