More than 4,000 people have applied to join the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
According to police data, more than 65% who applied to the student officer campaign are Protestant, 26% are Catholic and 7.7% are undetermined.
According to the 2021 census, 45.7% of the Northern Ireland population are Catholic. The recruitment process closed last Wednesday with a total of 4,104 applications received.
Some 63% of the applicants are male, 36% female, and 7% are from the LGBT community, and 4.2% are from ethnic minorities.
The percentages largely compare with the recruitment campaign in 2025, although there was a slight drop in the percentage of Catholic applicants (28.8% last year).
It comes as PSNI officer numbers dropped to 6,190 last summer, well below the target of 7,500 set in the Patten Report in 1999.
Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said he is encouraged by the numbers applying, and he appealed to those from all backgrounds to consider a career in policing.
"Policing is a unique career, it's not simply a job, it’s a vocation," he said.
"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 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," he said.
"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."
Mr Boutcher wished all the applicants the very best as they 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," he said.
"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."
SDLP Policing Board member Colin McGrath MLA said that what was the lowest proportion of Catholic applicants to the PSNI since 2013 in more than decade should signal alarm bells.
Mr McGrath said: "Unfortunately this trajectory has been clear for some time and these figures are in no way surprising.
"Unless we see drastic changes things will only get worse, with Policing Board projections putting the number of officers from a Catholic background at just 23% in ten years' time.
"The reasons for the decline are complex and there are no easy answers. The threat from dissidents still looms in the background, the handling of legacy cases and a number of high-profile mistakes, including the data breach, would give many pause when considering a career in policing. I welcome and appreciate the efforts of Chief Constable Jon Boutcher to address these issues.
"I would also note a drop in applications from women and the LGBT+ community as cause for concern, though a small increase in applicants from ethnic minority communities is welcome. Issues with building a representative police service stretch far beyond the Catholic and Nationalist community.
"Without a major intervention this situation will only get worse in the years ahead with serious consequences for confidence in policing and society as a whole."
