This November the PSNI will come of age, it will have been 18-years since the RUC was no more and a new force - intended to be representative of all communities - was born.
And yet as it stands the number of Catholics in the PSNI is dropping rather than rising.
This week outgoing Chief Constable George Hamilton blamed that deficit on nationalist politicians, who he says haven't done enough to promote a career in policing within their own communities.
In reality the reasons for ongoing under representation are much more complex.
When Chris Patten delivered his report on policing reforms in 1999, his vision was for a peace time society which would slowly put the pain of the past behind it and move towards normalisation.
And yet 20-years on policing in Northern Ireland is far from normalised.
The increased security threat has undoubtedly had an impact on the number of young nationalists considering a career in policing.
PSNI officers like Peadar Heffron were seen as the future of the force, an Irish speaking Gaelic footballer, he was the embodiment of Patten's vision. In January 2010 an undercar bomb cost him his leg and his career.
It was the start of a series of attacks on Catholic officers.
A year later 25-year-old Ronan Kerr died after a bomb exploded under his car as he left his home in Omagh to go to work in Enniskillen.
And it's not just Catholic officers under threat, last year army technical officers were called to the Shantallow area of Derry after a hoax device was left outside the home of the elderly parents of a Catholic officer.
Normalised policing does not exist in many areas of Belfast, Derry and Co Armagh, so that young Catholics only ever see riot cops in armoured Land Rovers makes the prospect of considering a career in policing even more remote.
Issues with policing the past, investigations into collusion and issues over dislosure for Ombudsman's investigations, the recent high profile arrest of two journalists, all of these things create a chill factor when it comes to nationalist confidence in the force.
These issues, both security and societal, need addressed or else the reintroduction of 50/50 recruitment is pointless.
Until we normalise life outside of the PSNI it is impossible to normalise the culture within it.
