Press release
Minister McEntee welcomes news that over 6,300 people have applied to become a Garda under recent recruitment competition
Published on
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Published on
Last updated on
Minister McEntee has warmly welcomed the news that over 6,300 people have applied to become a Garda under the most recent recruitment campaign.
According to statistics released today by An Garda Síochána, they received 6,381 applications for the recruitment competition, which closed last Friday (9 February).
Welcoming the news this morning, Minister McEntee said:
“The response to the latest Garda recruitment campaign has been very strong. I am delighted to see over 6,300 apply to become Gardaí – this is a significant increase on the 5,000 people who applied last year.
"I am glad to see that so many people want to join An Garda Siochana and I am particularly pleased at the strong response from people aged between 35 and 50. Well over a third of the applications were in that age group.
"I have always said that nothing is off the table when it comes to recruitment. We have increased the training allowance and increased the age of entry from 35 to 50. I am determined that An Garda Síochána grows to 15,000 members and beyond.
"So to all those who have applied, good luck with the interviews and assessments, and all the very best on your path to a job well worth doing.”
This competition comes only ten months since the last Garda recruitment campaign, which attracted approximately 5,000 applications.
Minister McEntee is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to fight crime. An Garda Síochána have been allocated a budget of €2.35 billion to An Garda Síochána –a 25% increase since 2020. This funding will continue to allow for the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff this year, as well as ensuring Gardaí have the equipment, technology, facilities and fleet they need to carry out their vital work.