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Updated 1.16pm
MINISTER FOR JUSTICE Frances Fitzgerald has announced the details of the recruitment of a further 250 new gardaí by the end of the year.
Speaking at the annual conference of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) in Meath this morning, she confirmed two new batches of 125 recruits will enter garda college at Templemore.
The ‘ramping up’ of recruitment will begin “over the coming months”, she said.
Fitzgerald also said the government is committed to not letting Templemore close again. She said:
I promised seamless ongoing recruitment and I am delivering on this promise.
The additional recruitment will bring the total number of new recruits since September last year to 550, and “signifies the determination of Government and I to delivering an effective, responsive police service to protect our communities and respond to emerging crime trends,” the Minister said.
She added that plans to address IT issues within the force, such as those with the Pulse computer system.
A report on the exact needs of scale of investment required is due shortly.
It was flagged earlier this year that there are no plans to replace Pulse, in spite of comments recently by the head of the Garda Inspectorate that it should be scrapped.
Approximately 20,000 people applied for positions in An Garda Síochána when its recruitment campaign began in December 2013. It was the first garda recruitment drive since 2009.
Representative bodies have been calling for recruitment for years, with almost 300 retirements from the force in 2013 alone.
The move was welcomed by the Immigrant Council of Ireland which today asked the force to make an effort to encourage applications from people of a migrant background.
Published at 9.58am. Additional reporting by Nicky Ryan.
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The force is not actually increasing in size . These are just to replace the ones that have left .
It won’t even cover those numbers leaving and that have left
Why did you remove my earlier comment where I outlined how I have make friends within the guards who are being discriminated against. I outlined how, and rightfully so, women get pregnant, go immediately on indoor duties, then take 6 to 9 months maternity leave then come back into some made up office job which hasn’t been advertised. They are counted as members of the force during their prolonged absence. How is that fair on the lads in the job who have no such luxuries? This should certainly be highlighted and within my own job would not be tolerated. Time ye stood up lads, total sexism.
*male friends
Well the usual critics of the government are out in force here. Read one of them and you have read them all. Great news that more Gardai are being recruited!
not one fully trained garda of the 550 mentioned will be on the beat in the lifetime of this government,,was 14,343 in 2011 now 12,775
What an informative retort with absolutely no evidence to back up your horrifically misguided remark. I’m basing my comment on fact. Maybe you should try the same you moron.
I’m not a ban Garda, although seen as you like to be kept informed, nobody has been since 1991 when they abolished the term. I’m also not a Garda nor do I have a fleet of kids as you put it. I do however have two, for which I got maternity leave, after which I returned to my ordinary job, that I had done for the 8 years prior to that, and for your information, I worked in that job up to the week my maternity leave began. But you continue on your rant there anyway fair play to you!
There is no other job in this country that people watch, read, listen or comment on. 20,000 young educated people have recently applied for it. Despite what some media (& journal commentators) might try and portray, like the juries consisting of ordinary Irish people in the Dwyer and Bailey trial, the vast majority of people in this country trust their Gardaí.
You stay relevant, Immigrant Council of Ireland.
I’m a migrant , been moving around since ’85 , and I’m Irish , way back ….I don’t have a black panther club to join, no pavee point , I don’t even have a white man CAN jump affirmation from a society , despite us reaching the moon and beyond , back to basics , how many savvy recruits will be contracted ? , taught to be indifferent to their own while waving a rainbow flag of inclusion …….we managed a couple of centuries ago (Men) , how to take the shiy-t from the town , tiz only in the last 10 we’ve chartered its course back………pure f=k’n madness….also, history doesn’t lie. Vote No
Ugly – sober up m8…
I’m not drunk , ain’t your mate either Will.
More tax collectors
If one considers there are 32 counties in Ireland and the shikiloni operate in all 32 , while at the same time working with interpol and other government agencies , the number that’s been hailed is a loada b’x's , how many guards retire in 2015 ? …address the problem or stay quiet. There’s not enough police is the cry , bring in more they say …..goes the same for immigration policy in the civic mindset yet no correlation is observed ….close the borders , then we may get a handle on our criminals …..unpopular but hard fact.
Go home ugly,you’re drunk
I know Murph , a drunken homophobic who harbors ideas , I’m a run with the crowd eater , a useful idiot , would never sell myself so low as to vote though. We ain’t dead baby , we’re just taking a break. Ireland and myxomatosis have long history of self consuming its best interests , another fact , truth as facts are unreliable , witness by the eye is not , bible perfectly explains the role and religion of the tax collector , not much has changed. They make and broadcast whats on your TV , the babysitter , but still….lets push for more free stuff.
You realise there is 6 counties in ireland that aren’t irish and as such do not fall under the jurisdiction of the gardai?
Who are you to say they are not Irish!!!
The fact that they are under the Queens rule might have something to do with it.
250 is nowhere near enough recruits. The government need to get serious about policing in this country and stop using the gardai as political footballs like they have been doing since getting into power
Hope they all take note of what one garda can do. One garda can stop a potential serial killer as we saw last week. One garda can save a child as we saw on journal page.
the standards are high. Aspire to even better
I agree with your point about what a good guard can do but this is the exception, not the norm. And to say that the standards are high (currently not historically) is just not true
Will it be a new application process or selecting from last one?
Oh great! Irish Water are hiring more security!
Yaaaaaaaawn
immigrant council get stuffed. How many policemen in Nigeria Poland and entire Eastern Europe are irish
Get distracted much? Comments quickly moved from minimal numbers of new Gardai to water protesters, gay marriage, irish language relevance and EU roads policy. Looks like a few people forgot to take their tablets this morning! Original point – not enough Gardai, despite Frances Fitz and the bould Noreen pretending to the contrary.
Jesus even the ministers are getting in on April fools!
In Mayo/Sligo – you could be waiting a week for a garda to turn up.
Then he’ll make every excuse he can – to do nothing about a crime….
very sexist comment
Sober up….
more jobs great news :)
Jane Ryan don’t bother calling them if in trouble ring your fellow water protesters to help
More rent-a-cops coming out to play! I feel so safe now
Think the first batch is to specialize in dealing with protesters while being filmed
How witty, an Irish Water link. Well done to you. Yawn
Will derbylight, next time you ring the garda tell them thers an anti water charge protest about to take place, see how many and how fast they get there.
250 skinny cowards who can pass an Albert Einstein type aptitude test … While the real men are working or looking for work , we will have 250 Harry Potters on power trips .
Failed the aptitude test did ya?
Fitness test would do the garda better service, a lot of them are seriously over weight & unfit for the uniform.
Why don’t you tell us what your job is, so we can criticise it without knowing anything about it.
Wha about the potential female gaurds? Are they “real men”? ✌️
Could the gardai that are red thumbing on my comments please go back to work now
Not a garda Jane, the red thumbs are for your idiotic comments.
“yes lad” Whats with the red thumbs eh ,should one dare not mention corruption when speaking of the daz whiter than white gardai or am i disgusting as ex commissioner callanan would have put it ,
So anyone who speaks out about garda corruption is a water protester ,im shattered to say the least dan the man ,have you not been reading up on garda corruption in this state or do you only read the irish independent ,the force is rife with corruption from the top to the bottom ,as in life there are good gardai and there are bad gardai , look up the most recent articles on the cavan monaghan areas ,it aint pleasant reading ,and no im not a anti water tax protester but i shall not be paying a penny towards a quango designed to line the pockets of a certain individual whom i used to work for
I take your point about corruption, but on the other hand, you have to give credit to the stellar work done by Gardai on many other cases – Elaine O Hara for one
One Garda! 250 nGardaiiiii!!!
The Gardai sure like the journal
There is such a thing as too many guards.
If the crime rate can be kept low with a small amount of guardai then we’re all better off.
Given the requirement for the member of the force to speak (to some level) Irish, how easy is it for immigrants really?
I know that we all give out about of levels of Irish, after school, but most of us still have the basics that can be built upon.
The Irish language is a complete waste of time.
Yet, we insist that all EU documents are translated into it – in the clear knowledge that nobody reads them!!
At enormous expense…..
So is the endorsement of gay sex as marriage , 21 million euro so far . fu=k your EU. , All its done is built roads and killed our fish. Parables would be lost in the age that came after reason. Bed = Lay , I ain’t insane when I tell you the price for our momentary madness is everlasting life.
Not saying that it is fair on immigrants, by the way. The opposite in fact
Seriously what is your problem?
Your on every story commenting nonsense about your beliefs which you clearly feel very strongly about but yet you won’t use your real profile to stand by them!
Feel free to spout your utter nonsense but man up and don’t hide behind an alias if your beliefs are so strong and in your opinion right!
That is directed towards ugly truth incase there is any confusion
Paul – many, unlike you, do not wish the general public on here to know personal details. Like where they work etc.
There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, at my college, its the advice given. Due to the large number of nutters out there.
You actually only need to be fluent in English OR Irish and then have some level of a second language now
Idiotic comment you say ??? So im an idiot for stating that the gardai are corrupt ,they beat the crap out of people ,they lie on oath ,they wipe penalty points of the vips of pulse ,they raid houses with false search warrants ,they put false figures on crime stats ,they down grade crime ,the list is endless ,were are you living in cloud cuckoo land , google corrupt garda my man and open your eyes ,dont forget donegal mcbreaty cases ian bailey ,garda maurice mccabe and garda wilson ,plus more new whistle blowers coming out now ,google kieran boylan the drug dealer in ardee co louth ,google the morris tribuninal,the list is endless ,so red thumb all ye like and take the rose tinted glasses off ,,, idiotic comment my foot ,the truth wake up
Wow jane when the ombudsman is finished going after the guards with your evidence they will be finished.
Let us know how you get on will you.
Does this mean that if the Gardai get 250 new recruits they will have to forfeit their claim for pay restoration? Is this what the Government are thinking of with its announcement this morning?
You can see where this is going. Police state fair enough. But the people will push back twice as hard. That day when you have to choose your side is getting close real close.
when you see the amount needed to provide security for Penis O Brien’s staff 250 is a drop in the ocean
More Irish water goons dob will be happy.the guards need to start standing with the people…
Interesting
Hopefully they are trained in the UK.how many will be Polish, Russian, Nigerian, Congoliese, Zimbabwean, Latvian, etc?
Is Irish still a requirement for joining?
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