Speech by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee at Garda Passing-Out Ceremony in Templemore

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Garda Commissioner, Minister Browne, Distinguished guests, family and friends. And most of all, our brand new Gardaí,

Is mór an onóir dom bheith anseo inniú.

It is a great privilege for me to be here today on a day of such celebration and importance for all of you. I would like to begin by congratulating every one of our new Gardaí passing out today. The government is always immensely grateful to our Gardaí for the huge role they play in keeping the people of Ireland safe.

And I know this gratitude is shared by our people and communities, up and down the country.

For over 100 years, Gardaí have embedded yourselves in the fabric and every facet of Irish life, building connections and trust with the communities you serve.

This deep connection to communities and a commitment to service is woven into the culture of An Garda Síochána, and is something to be immensely proud of, renewed, and preserved.

And I know that each of you will continue on in this great tradition.

I want to pay tribute to and sincerely thank each and every one of you for making the decision to join An Garda Síochána.

It is the skill, judgment, grit, dedication and commitment of our Gardai that shields the people of Ireland from harm.

And each of you have had to develop and display all these qualities to get where you are today.

From the first day you went on placement, the people of Ireland have looked to you to keep them safe, to make them feel secure, to help and support them in some of their most difficult moments.

At the heart of all your work will be the public and victims of crime.

Your duty is to protect us all, particularly the most vulnerable.

But you may also find yourselves acting not just as protectors, but as mediators, comforters, as guides, and to provide a friendly face or a helping hand to those who need you.

It is so important that victims of violence feel safe to come forward, feel they can trust our Gardaí to do your best for them.

Over the last four years I have prioritised work to tackle the scourge of domestic, sexual and gender based violence.

The Commissioner has been my ally in this work – fully recognising that these are really serious crimes that prey on the vulnerable and cause irreparable harm to the individual victims, to families, to children, to everyone in society.

Our priority has been to develop the laws, structures, policies and dedicated skills to reduce the incidence of this type of crime.

But, recognising the reality that these awful crimes do happen and still way too often – we are working to make sure that victims are protected, that investigators are skilled and capable, that supports are there for victims when they do come forward and that people are brought to justice for these crimes.

This issue has come to the fore of public debate once more over recent days.

I cannot comment on a particular case but I will repeat here something I have said regularly: no victim of violence is ever to blame, the perpetrator is.

I’ve been proud to hear countless testimonies from victims who have spoken so highly of how they were supported by Gardai in their hour of need.

I cannot emphasise enough how important that part of your job will be.

It is difficult, too difficult still perhaps, for victims of crime to come forward. It is made much easier if they know they can expect to be treated with professionalism, kindness and compassion by the members of An Garda Síochána.

In supporting victims at every stage of their journey, you will in turn have our support.

We will support you through our government-wide strategies, our new agency to combat DSGBV, Cuan, and, above all, through the government’s unwavering commitment to reduce the occurrence of these awful crimes – by changing our societal attitudes to violence.

My ambition is for a culture of zero tolerance in our society for this violence – and for the behaviours and attitudes that foster it. That is my aim, and your work is crucial to this.

There are now Garda Divisional Protective Service Units in every division nationwide, to ensure that when vulnerable victims report what has happened to them, they are met with specialist trained investigators as well as sensitive and expert assistance.

So there is no doubt that the work of a Garda can often be tough and challenging work.

I know that each of you will strive to meet those challenges in the years ahead. It is challenging work and it takes a toll.

So you must look after your resilience and we must support you in that. There are a range of really positive mental health supports available and I would, as always, urge you to start to avail of them as a matter of course.

Being a Garda is a demanding job, but it is undoubtedly a job that is worth doing.

I would like to assure you all that, as Minister for Justice, I am one hundred per cent committed to supporting you all in this work.

We have increased the funding provided to An Garda Síochána to record levels in recent years.

This has allowed for sustained investment in recruitment, technology, equipment, vehicles including new aircraft, and support services.

A significant portion of the Garda capital budget is now invested in modern IT systems.

This is to ensure that An Garda Síochána has state of the art, modern technology, including cyber analysis tools, available to you.

Last month I was very pleased to join the Commissioner to launch the first pilot phase of the long awaited body worn cameras. Gardaí on patrol in Dublin city centre are now equipped with the cameras and we have already seen this evidence introduced in court cases. Further pilots will launch in Waterford and Limerick later this summer, ahead of a full nationwide roll-out.

Unfortunately we have seen some disgraceful incidents where Gardai and frontline workers have been attacked in the course of duty.

This technology has the potential to deter such attacks or, where attacks occur, it can provide strong evidence to bring those culprits to justice.

Similarly, the rollout of Garda mobile devices is also now complete so that every Garda has real-time access to a series of bespoke apps, which help eliminate paperwork and allow you to carry out your frontline duties far more efficiently.

It is an absolute priority that we protect the health, safety and welfare of all Gardai.

This commitment is reflected in the €6 million allocated for Garda wellbeing initiatives, additional medical costs and over 2,500 units of body armour in Budget 2024.

But the most important resource of all is you.

And this government has invested year in, year out in strengthening Garda numbers.

A highly visible Garda presence is the most effective measure in preventing crime. Every community in the country wants more of you. You are vital in ensuring the public are safe and also give people confidence to feel safe.

So it is very positive that we are now seeing regular intakes of new recruits entering training and new Gardaí attesting throughout the year.

A total of 746 trainees joined last year. The highest intake since 2018. A further 185 have entered the College so far this year.

Despite the highly competitive jobs market, we are seeing very positive interest in joining An Garda Síochána.

That is testament to the enduring appeal of a career dedicated to public service in An Garda Síochána, to the satisfaction of working together as a team, to doing a difficult job really well to the very best of your ability.

Over the last year, I have introduced several measures to support and strengthen Garda recruitment.

I have significantly increased the training allowance, increased the age of entry from 35 to 50, and will shortly enact legislation to increase the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 62.

This will help us retain the knowledge and expertise of experienced people. No doubt all of you will learn much from them as you embark on your own careers.

When it comes to Garda recruitment nothing is off the table and I am continuing to consider what further measures we can take to boost Garda numbers.

We are also investing in the entire Garda workforce, meaning more Garda Staff and Garda Reserves.

We are well on our way to a total of 4,000 Garda staff, while earlier this month I launched the latest recruitment drive for the Garda Reserve.

This boost to the Garda Reserves will help to support policing and further strengthen those links with the community, including building pathways for new communities.

I am absolutely delighted today to see such a diverse and vibrant group of people joining the ranks of An Garda Síochána.

It is vitally important that the organisation reflects the communities you serve.

We have unfortunately seen in recent times that there are some who seek to spread hatred and division among our society.

It is imperative that Ireland has Gardaí from all backgrounds to reflect the modern, inclusive country we now live in.

In closing, I would like to, once again, say how grateful I am, and the people of Ireland are, for the incredible work done by Gardaí the length and breadth of the country.

Day in day out, the people of Ireland trust you to maintain the security of the State, to protect our people, and to ensure that we can all go about our daily lives in a safe and peaceful country.

It is a job that comes not only with a great responsibility, but sometimes with great challenges.

However it is a rewarding a job, a fulfilling job and a job that truly is worth doing.

You should all be very proud of your achievement in reaching where you are today.

I have every confidence that each of you will continue on in the great traditions of An Garda Síochána.

This organisation is the envy of many police services around the world because of the genuine dedication of Gardaí and your unique connection to the communities you serve.

You have already shown that dedication in abundance on your journey to this great day.

You have been trained to use your judgment, to respect and uphold human rights, to build positive relationships across the community, and ultimately and most importantly to enforce the law of the land without fear or favour. Using all those skills consistently and decisively will be needed on the testing days in future but I have no doubt you will make us proud.

I wish you all a very happy and memorable day celebrating with your family and friends.

Comhghairdeas agus go raibh míle maith agaibh go leir.