Garda recruitment has started to grow the strength of the force for the first time since 2020, though at a rate that would take four more years for it to reach the stated minimum target of 15,000 members.
Based on the current rate of growth, it would take almost two decades to reach the 18,000 sworn members Garda Commissioner Harris believes are required.
An Garda Síochána was forced to deal with two serious violent incidents in Dublin on Sunday. A man stabbed three people in a random attack in Stoneybatter while gardaí fired a less than lethal impact round at a man armed with a knife in Ballymun.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan said the random attacks in Stoneybatter, which was random, “could have been a lot worse” as he commended the unarmed gardaí who were first to the scene and tackled and arrested the suspect.
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There was “about 1,300” gardaí policing Dublin city centre at present, among 3,800 in the Dublin metropolitan region.
“What I want to do is get the numbers in the force up,” the Minister said. “We launched a recruitment campaign last week and we need to try to get more people into the force.”
Mr O’Callaghan said it would be challenging to recruit 1,000 gardaí per year over the next five years, as pledged in the programme for government. But he said recruitment targets needed to be “adventurous” rather than “just sit here and say the best we can do” is recruit between 500 and 600 annually.
He accepted “parts of Dublin were not safe” at times and that providing more high visibility policing would improve safety.
In reply to queries, Garda headquarters said despite “the extensive commentary ... on a crisis on resignations” in the Garda, resignations were running at a rate of 1 per cent. It said this compared to 10 per cent in some UK police forces and that the new recruitment campaign would help further boost numbers.
According to a report supplied by the Garda to the Policing Authority, there were some 14,191 sworn members in the Garda at the end of last year, an increase of 193 over 12 months. It is the first time the ‘end of year’ strength has increased since 2020.
In an attempt to bolster recruitment, a number of ideas are being considered, including satellite garda training centres, home study, and directly hiring specialists with the required skills.
The number of resignations from the force was 138 last year, down from a record high of 171 in 2023. There were 240 retirements last year, the lowest for five years and a significant drop in comparison to the 319 seen in 2023.
Retirements decreased mainly because the mandatory retirement age in the Garda was increased by two years to 62.
In the decade ahead, retirements are set to increase as Garda recruitment was accelerated 30 to 40 years ago and these members are now coming to the end of their careers.
However, both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and Commissioner Harris have said the Garda must grow to 15,000 members and beyond. Mr Harris said 18,000 were required to meet the increasing policing demands in the State.
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