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5,000 apply for 600 trainee garda
places
05.06.19
MORE than 5,000 people
have applied for 600 positions in the latest round
of recruitment by An Garda Síochána.
That represents nearly ten applicants for every one
trainee place on offer at the Garda College this
year.
Garda chiefs have welcomed the number of applicants
despite a “competitive labour market” and said it
demonstrates community trust in the police force.
The figure, however, is a far cry from the whopping
24,000 people who applied for just 300 places after
a recruitment moratorium was lifted towards the end
of the recession in 2013.
The latest round, which ended on April 24, follows a
more regular pattern of interest which included some
5,400 applications in 2017 and over 6,000 in 2018.
“This strong desire among so many people to be a
member of An Garda Síochána is, I believe, because
of the trust the community have in An Garda Síochána
and the positive contribution they see our people
making in society,” said Deputy Commissioner John
Twomey, in a recent report to the Policing
Authority.
The current strength of An Garda Síochána is just
over 14,000 garda members, almost 3,000 civilian
staff and just over 500 reserves.
The Government is aiming to bring the figures to
15,000, 4,000 and 2,000 respectively by 2021. |
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