THE Catholic church has called on Scottish police forces to conduct a Northern Ireland-style religious audit of their officers amid fears of sectarianism in the ranks.

Senior figures in the church say they have received complaints from people who claim they have been victims of sectarian discrimination by the police. Police officers are also said to have claimed that they are being denied promotion because of a “stained-glass ceiling” that bars Catholics from top jobs.

The call for an audit, which is backed by the anti-sectarian charity Nil by Mouth, was first proposed during Jack McConnell’s summit on sectarianism earlier this month.

Joseph Devine, the bishop of Motherwell, said: “Information on how successful Scotland’s police service is in creating police forces which reflect the communities they serve in terms of religion, ethnicity and age, should be made public in pursuance of the noble goal of truly representative police forces.”

A senior church source added: “Anecdotally we have heard a huge number of allegations. One is that in some areas it can be difficult for Catholics to get into the police, but the more common claim is that they rarely rise above the level of sergeant.”

In Northern Ireland, the government has introduced reforms aimed at recruiting more Catholic police officers after complaints that the force was dominated by Protestants. Now, 50% of new officers must be Catholic.

A spokesman for Nil by Mouth backed a Scottish audit. “The priority for the police should be that their employment practices are fair and open to all,” he said.

However, police officers maintain that all appointments are made on merit and have nothing to do with religion. They also deny that officers display bigoted behaviour when they deal with the public.

Jim Duffy, the chairman of Strathclyde Police Federation, which represents most officers in Glasgow where sectarian tensions are greatest, denies that officers are guilty of bigotry.

“I believe a long time ago there was the odd occasion where religious beliefs had an impact on how officers progressed, but in 29 years I have not come across a single occasion where someone has come to us and said they have been discriminated against,” he said.

Donald Gorrie, a Liberal Democrat MSP who persuaded the Scottish executive to introduce a new aggravated criminal offence of religious hatred, is also sceptical.

“It might be worth pursuing the issue if only to demonstrate that there is not a problem,” he said.

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