4.—(1) The Chief Constable shall appoint a person to exercise the functions prescribed by these regulations in connection with the selection of qualified candidates for appointment:—
(a)as police trainees
(b)as police reserve trainees;
(2) Police reserve trainees shall be appointed to serve as part-time members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve.
5.—(1) The person appointed under regulation 4(1) shall be known as the police recruitment agent (“the agent”).
(2) The Chief Constable shall require the agent to carry out the functions prescribed by regulations 3(1), 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10(5).
(3) The Chief Constable may appoint more than one agent.
(4) The agent shall be appointed by the Chief Constable on such terms and conditions including conditions as to payment as he shall determine with the approval of the Policing Board.
6.—(1) Notice of vacancies for trainee members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and trainee part time members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland Reserve shall be published.
(2) In publishing notice of vacancies in accordance with paragraph (1) the agent shall have regard to the recommendations contained in paragraph 15.8 of the Report of the Independent Commission.
7.—(1) Subject to regulation 11 and paragraph (2), the agent shall request candidates for appointment as a police trainee or a police reserve trainee to provide such information as may be appropriate to establish whether the candidate meets the requirements of regulation 2(2).
(2) Candidates shall not be asked to send information about criminal convictions other than to the Chief Constable.
8.—(1) Subject to regulation 11, the agent shall carry out tests and assessments to determine whether a candidate for appointment as a police trainee or a police reserve trainee is qualified for the purposes of regulation 2(2).
(2) Paragraph (1) includes a requirement to make arrangements for tests and assessments to be carried out for the purposes of regulation 2(2)(c).
9.—(1) The agent shall establish a pool of lay assessors.
(2) The agent shall ensure that lay assessors are involved in assessing candidates for appointment as police trainees and police reserve trainees.
(3) No person who is a serving member of the police, the Police Authority, the staff of the Police Authority, the Policing Board, the staff of the Policing Board, or the police support staff shall be appointed as a lay assessor.
(4) A person is disqualified from being a lay assessor if he has at any time been convicted in Northern Ireland or elsewhere of any offence and has had passed on him a sentence of imprisonment (whether suspended or not).
10.—(1) The Policing Board shall appoint a pool of independent community observers who shall report to the Board on such aspects of the recruitment process for police trainees and police reserve trainees as may be agreed by the Board and the Chief Constable.
(2) Independent community observers shall not be involved in any aspect of the recruitment process under Part III of these regulations.
(3) The reports of independent community observers shall deal with:—
(a)the adequacy of facilities and arrangements; and
(b)whether, so far as practical, the same procedures are being applied to all candidates.
(4) The reports of independent community observers shall be made in such form and on such occasions as the Policing Board may determine.
(5) The agent shall make such arrangements as are necessary to enable the independent community observers to carry out their duties.
(6) The Policing Board shall exercise the duty to appoint the pool of independent community observers under this regulation, so as to ensure, as far as practicable, that it is representative of the community in Northern Ireland.
(7) No person who is a serving or former member of the police, the Police Authority, the staff of the Police Authority, the Policing Board, the staff of the Policing Board, or the police support staff shall be appointed as an independent community observer.
(8) A person is disqualified from being an independent community observer if he has at any time been convicted in Northern Ireland or elsewhere of any offence and has had passed on him a sentence of imprisonment (whether suspended or not).
(9) Independent community observers shall be appointed on such terms and conditions including provision as to expenses and allowances as the Policing Board may determine.
11.—(1) The Chief Constable shall not require the agent to carry out :—
(a)tests in relation to firearms;
(b)assessments of the suitability of candidates under Part III of these regulations;
(c)the monitoring of candidates in accordance with the Fair Employment (Monitoring) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999(1).
(2) Without prejudice to paragraph (1) the Chief Constable may require the agent to carry out ancillary functions in relation to the matters specified in that paragraph.