Policing

This chapter considers the recent literature on the question of policing in Ireland and particularly that presented in work by William Lowe and Elizabeth Malcolm. Broadly speaking, Lowe suggests that the Irish police officers were becoming more representative of the Irish population in terms of their composition while Malcolm suggests that the officers tended to be less so. The evidence presented in this chapter leans more towards Malcolm's hypothesis, and the chapter then considers why there were so few Catholics at the senior officer level of the Royal Irish Constabulary. The chapter suggests that discriminatory practices—largely based on the state's concern that Irish Catholic might be disloyal—was one factor which prevented upward Catholic social mobility among the officers of the RIC.

Political science · Gender Politics and Representation · Policing Practices and Perceptions