Press release
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee announces new Garda Reserve recruitment campaign
Published on
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Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, has announced a new recruitment campaign for Garda reserves, which opens for applications today (Wednesday, 5 June) and closes on 4 July 2024.
The Garda Reserve is a volunteer service drawn from local communities. Reserves work alongside full time Garda members performing varied work, including with the Road Traffic Unit, ensuring public safety during State visits, policing public order incidents, assisting with crowd control at large scale public events and supporting the regular day-to-day community policing work of An Garda Síochána.
The Minister has secured an increase in the maximum tax-free stipend to be paid to Reserve Members from €1,000 per annum for over 100 hours of volunteering in a year to €3,000 for over 200 hours of volunteering. A graduated scale of stipend will apply depending on the total number of hours volunteered.
Minister McEntee has set a target to reach at least 1,000 Garda Reserves by 2026.
On the opening of the competition, Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee said:
“The Garda Reserve represents a real opportunity for anyone wishing to support policing and give something back to their communities. Reserves bring a variety of experiences and perspectives to the organisation, including local knowledge and links to the communities in which they serve, which brings to life An Garda Síochána’s core value of community policing.
“As well as being an opportunity for people to voluntarily contribute to the strength and safety of their communities, members of the Garda Reserve have access to a dedicated recruitment stream to become full members of An Garda Síochána if that is a career they are hoping to pursue. The firsthand experience of working alongside full-time Garda members is great benefit to a Reserve if they transition to a full-time career in policing. We need to have a Garda workforce that fully reflects the communities it serves, so we would really welcome a diversity of applicants.
“Government has made a commitment to increase the Garda Reserve to 1,000 Members by 2026. I have secured an increased stipend of up to €3,000 per annum for Reserves and introduced regulations which provide for updated training and effective deployment of Garda Reserve members to support that.
“This is part of my overall plan to boost Garda recruitment. We have significantly increased the Garda Training allowance by 66%, 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 year 6,300 people applied to join An Garda Síochána, a significant increase on the number applying last year. No stone will be left unturned in boosting overall Garda recruitment and I am continuing to look at additional measures we can take. The Garda Reserve is a big part of our plan. I wish all prospective applicants the best of luck and look forward to welcoming new members of the Reserve in the coming months.”
Earlier this year, Minister McEntee introduced new Regulations which determine the work of the Garda reserve. These Regulations will ensure new Reserves are trained efficiently and to a high standard, allow for the effective deployment of Garda Reserve members, and update Reserve members’ hours on duty. These changes provide for a more modern approach and will provide more avenues for Reserves to make their communities safer.
Prospective candidates can visit publicjobs.ie for more information on how to apply.
Ends../
Notes to the Editor:
• The Garda Reserve competition is open from 5 June 2024 until 4 July 2024.
• The Garda Reserve was established in 2006. There are currently 341 serving Garda Reserve Members. At its peak in 2013 the number of Reserve Gardaí reached 1,164.
• Under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including the recruitment and training of Garda members and staff, which includes members of the Garda Reserve.
• The new graduated scale for the stipend for Garda Reserve Members is set out on the table below.
| Hours Completed | Rate of Stipend |
| 50 hours | €500 |
| 100 hours | €1000 |
| 150 hours | €2,000 |
| 200 hours or above | €3,000 |