Minister McEntee congratulates 108 new Garda members at Passing-Out Ceremony in Templemore

The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, today (Friday) attended a Passing-Out ceremony at the Garda College in Templemore to welcome 108 newly attested Garda members.

The new Garda members have now completed their training and will be assigned to Garda Divisions throughout the country.

Minister McEntee said:

It is a great privilege to be able to congratulate our newest Gardaí on Passing-Out today.

As Minister I am always immensely proud of our Garda members and the pivotal role they play in keeping people safe. I am delighted to see such a vibrant and diverse group becoming Gardaí.

Each of our new Gardaí have displayed the commitment, dedication and skill that has been the benchmark for An Garda Síochána for over a century and today is a day of great pride and achievement for each of them.

I would like to thank all of you for making this commitment to serving and protecting our communities and hope you enjoy a day of deserved celebrations.

There are currently over 14,000 Garda members as per the latest available figures.

The Minister added:

Today is another reminder of the growing momentum we have seen in Garda recruitment.

We have seen increased interest in recent recruitment campaigns and more and more Gardaí are coming through the College and onto our streets. All our new Probationer Gardaí will now be assigned to Divisions across the country.

As Minister I have made a number of significant measures to boost Garda recruitment including raising the age of entry to 50 years of age and increasing the training allowance to €354 per week.

I am committed to building stronger, safer communities and a full strength Garda Síochána is at the heart of that.

No stone will be left unturned when it comes to finding further ways in which to support further Garda recruitment.”

Budget 2024 reflects the commitment of Government to ensuring that our communities are safe and that An Garda Síochána has the resources required to operate effectively.

The budget provided by Government to the Garda Commissioner continues to increase to unprecedented levels, with an allocation of over €2.35 billion for 2024.

Notes to Editors:

• Today is the third attestation to take place at the Garda College in 2024.

• 165 members were sworn in in March while a further 157 attested in June.

• Of those attesting today, 28 members are female (26%), while 9 members (8%) were born outside the State.

• 74 probationer Gardaí have been assigned to the Dublin Metropolitan Region, 16 to the Eastern Region, 10 to the Southern Region, and 8 to the North Western Region.

• One person attesting today is a former Garda Reserve member.