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INCREASING THE GARDA retirement age to 62 is “under consideration”, according to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, Varadkar said he has spoken to the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris about the measure, as well as the justice minister.
When asked about the recruitment crisis in An Garda Síochana, the Taoiseach acknowledged that the Government is going to have a ”big job” ahead of it to secure the 1,000 recruits the promised in the budget last year.
The idea of increasing the retirement age from 60 years to 62 is “a good idea”, said Varadkar.
“If somebody is fit, healthy and able to do the job, why should there be a particular age at which they are told they must retire? Some safeguards around competence and fitness might be needed but once that is done I do not see why that age limit could not be increased. The Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Harris, are working on that,” he said.
The resignation rate from An Garda Síochána is just over 1%, which the Taoiseach said “may well be higher than previous years”, but is low in comparison with most organisations across the public and private sectors.
A similar issue in relation to retirement occurs in the Defence Forces where members are required to retire at 50 years of age, added Varadkar.
“I understand there has been a recent Workplace Relations Commission ruling on the matter of people not being able to join after the age of 35 years, so we may well see a change coming on that too,” he said.
Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin Bay South, Jim O’Callaghan suggested to the Taoiseach that the upper age limit of 35 for new Garda recruits should be reviewed as a matter of urgency.
“Many people who have sedentary careers would be interested in joining the gardaí but for some reason they don’t give consideration to it in their early 20s. However, people in their 30s looking for a career change should be targeted. We are missing out on potentially a huge cohort of people who could bring practical experience to the force,” said O’Callaghan.
In his response the Taoiseach referenced a recent Labour Court ruling which found that the current Garda age limit of 35 for new job applicants is discriminatory on the grounds of age and said that we may see a change to that policy.
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Maybe better pay, body cams for security against false accusations, more allowance for Gardai to use thier own common sense and less overgoverence from office based officers and other organisations which puts them all in fear of discipline and being sued might make the Garda on the street feel more worthwhile and appreciated for the dangerous work they do for us all!
At the moment they seem to be the easy target for all, the public punchbag, and that’s,’whether they do or they don’t’. They have NO backup from their higher officers or politicians, so it’s understandable frustration sets in and they feel completely unprotected.
@Ian McLaughlin: You are absolutely correct on every point you mention .Gardai working front line on the streets and in Criminal Investigations have to be more concerned with minding themselves,– apart from what they may encounter day to day,– they have mountains of computer reports and fear of discipline . The one thing you missed there,– Drew Harris is absolutely the wrong man at the top , he has forced too much change ,and brought the job into the RUC mode, and also has several of them working in the Park as very senior officers . Not good for morale .
Increase Garda powers, never mind retirement age.
Never mind increasing the retirement age, increase the service time to receive full pension. Why does a nurse who has a physical job (obese patients) on her feet all day, in danger from physical assault have to put in 40 years and a garda can retire 10 years earlier on a greater pension than a nurse gets and gets more favourable pension allowances. Nurses also require a higher level of education. Now I know a garda has a physical job and I know we are all greatful for their service but that also applies to nurses and surely as age progresses duties can be changed and anyway the amount of gardai that are clearly nowhere near fit several years after they join the force is clear for all to see. Why do we allow gardai retire so young and lose all that experience which most of them use to get a well paid new job while the state pays a very generous pension. It is massively expensive and a waste of resources.
@Rex Tilson: Well I won’t tell you how quickly a Minister, TD, Senator gets a pension, your jaw will be on the floor if you think 10 years difference is high on the scale.
@Rex Tilson: I worked in management in a supermarket and the retirement age was 60 with them also. Gardai sign up for a 30 year contract…and I believe they must be at least 55 before being able to draw their pension. And the post 2013 recruits don’t have much of a pension
@DisgruntledDub: post 2013 recruits will get approximately €11k per year of a pension. They will also get the old age pension on top of that once they hit 66. The days of the gold plated pensions are gone for those who joined post 2013.
@Rex Tilson: while I completely agree nurses are undervalued. Your argument seems to be based on job physicality which is so narrow when applied to both of them jobs. So in essence I’m not really sure of your point.
@Rex Tilson: first off I’d definitely like to see nurses get better benefits, they do an incredible job. However the Garda pension is an increased payment scheme, they pay the equivalent of 40yrs over the 30yr service, so while they can retire after 30yrs (once over 55) they have actually contributed to a 40yr pension.
Interesting statistic, zoom in there on core unit resignations and lets look at that percentage. Some desk jocky is hardly going to hand up the handy number. If 150 member regisned, how many are Garda on the actual frontline, how many years service, what %s are they Mr Harris.
How is it not 65?
Are they going to bring the firefighter age up too with this
Tiny number of Guards serve till their mandatory retirement date… GADT majority are getting their 30 yrs done and leaving… this will make no difference.
@Bri Lyons: the 1% resignation rate is misleading… most of the resignations are from Guards with less than 5 yrs service … those close to their pension don’t resign because they want the pension. The junior Guards don’t like what they see and are leaving.
@Bri Lyons: 100 cement. Minimizing a real issue here. There’s about 800 elogable to retire over the next year. Let’s see where this proposed roster affects that. No way recruitment will keep with that rate. Jobs fccked
@Bri Lyons: The Junior members after a while in Stations come to realize that their pensions will be very poor, as well as their take home pay being low . Any of them that are in their 30s when the join will never see 30 years never mind 40 . It’s a job for young people to make careers out of .
Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
Increasing Garda Retirement age to 62 will not do a whole lot for the actual number of Gardai . I think that a Garda can still retire after 30 years Service , — that is Age 50 ,– for those who joined as 20 year olds . Most of them won’t want to stay until 62 . Supts. and above will stay till 62 ,” but you won’t see them on the streets . That will benefit older people who joined in their 30s when they reach 60,– if they are still in the job–, it will give them a couple of years extra for Pension purposes , but that be in several years .
The Big problem is getting young people in , increasing the age for joining further will do little . It’s people in their 20s who intend to make a career out of it that is needed . How could someone of 36/37 be fitter than someone 21/22 .
let them work until their 80s..
have your say