A survey in Northern Ireland suggests that the confidence of Catholics in the PSNI has risen over the past year.
The six-month study by the Northern Ireland Policing Board indicates that almost 80% of Catholics have total, a lot, or some confidence in the PSNI.
This is compared to 75% in September of last year. Among Protestants, the confidence level remained the same over the past six months at 80%.
The overall rating in the community was 79%.
But public satisfaction with the performance of the PSNI in their communities slipped. While a 52% majority of those questioned felt the police were doing a very, or, fairly good job in their areas, this was 5% down on the rating 18 months ago and 1% down on April's findings.
However, public confidence in District Policing Partnerships, which hold police commanders to account in local council areas, was high, with 71% believing they helped address problems in their areas. This was a 1% drop on April's statistics.
The Chairman of the Policing Board, Sir Desmond Rea, welcomed the confidence shown in the police but noted it was still 4% short of the 83% target set in the 2006/7 Policing Plan.
