The number of gardaí recruited in the last two years is lagging significantly behind the number of gardaí who have resigned or retired, new figures have shown.
Recent parliamentary question answers from Justice Minister Helen McEntee to Fine Gael TD Emer Higgins show that 148 gardaí were hired in 2021. As of November 15, some 369 gardaí have been hired so far this year.
These 517 gardaí are “probationers” and are subject to a two-year probationary period.
These figures do not include, Minister McEntee said, the 25 new recruits who are currently undergoing training in Templemore.
However, the number of gardaí recruited in the last two years is significantly behind the number who have resigned or retired.
In total, 827 gardaí have left the force over the last two years.
Figures show that some 631 gardaí have retired (293 in 2021 and 338 so far in 2022), while 196 have resigned (95 in 2021 and 338 in 2022).
Ms McEntee said that the retirements included voluntary, compulsory and cost-neutral early retirements.
Deputy Higgins told the Irish Mirror that it is “really critical that we hit our recruitment targets”, She said: “We have set ambitious targets. We want to make sure we are getting trainees into the garda college, that they’re finishing out their probationary and staying with the workforce.
“We need to make being a garda a more attractive career.
“It is about making sure that the figures that were announced in the Budget around funding for new garda recruits are hit.
“100 [gardaí] a year leaving isn’t a cause for concern. People’s lives change. But what I want to know is if there are exit interviews done.
“Are people leaving for reasons that aren’t personal reasons? Then that is where we need to make sure there are retention strategies in place.”
Fianna Fáil’s justice spokesperson Jim O’Callaghan said that consideration should be given to increasing the retirement age for gardaí up from 60.
“It is absolutely essential that we maintain and increase Garda numbers,” he said.
The Labour Party’s justice spokesperson Aodhán Ó Ríordáin also expressed concerns about the figures, suggesting that “garda morale is on the floor”.
“Any guard you talk to says they need more resources,” he told the Irish Mirror.
“It is something that the Government will have to grapple with. Gardaí are the same as any other public servant and are impacted by housing.
“How can we get people to police in Dublin if they can’t live in Dublin?”
Minister McEntee pledged that 1,000 gardai will be recruited next year as part of the Department of Justice’s Budget package.
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