Preasráitis
Taoiseach and Minister McEntee congratulate 169 new Garda members at passing-out ceremony in Templemore
Foilsithe
An t-eolas is déanaí
Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
Foilsithe
An t-eolas is déanaí
Teanga: Níl leagan Gaeilge den mhír seo ar fáil.
Taoiseach Simon Harris and Minister for Justice Helen McEntee today attended a passing-out ceremony at the Garda College in Templemore where 169 men and women became newly-attested gardaí.
Today marks the first time since March 2020 that a Taoiseach has attended a passing-out ceremony. The new gardaí have now completed their training and will be assigned to Garda Divisions throughout the country.
The total strength of An Garda Síochána is now over 14,000. Of those attesting today, 50 (30%) are women while 14 were born outside of the State, from countries such as Estonia, New Zealand, Brazil, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Serbia.
The Taoiseach Simon Harris said:
“This is a very special day for each newly-attested garda and their families. It is a celebration of the hard work and commitment that has taken them to this point.
“It is also a great day for our country. Days like today are a reminder to the public that more and more gardaí are coming through Templemore and into every community around the country.
“We recognise the importance of a highly visible policing service and robust resourcing is at the heart of that.
“The government will continue to ensure the men and women of An Garda Síochána have the legislation, technology and supports to perform your vital mission of keeping people safe.”
Minister McEntee said:
“For over 100 years, the people of Ireland have looked to gardaí to keep them safe, to make them feel secure and to support them in their most difficult moments.
“Gardaí are serving the most vulnerable among us every day and combatting the criminals who seek to divide and destroy. I am very proud of the community gardaí, the crime prevention officers, those on the frontline who have to break the worst news to families with empathy and compassion, all those who do the hard yards in serving our people all around the country and it’s great to see so many new gardaí joining the ranks today.
"We will take every necessary action to boost Garda recruitment. I have increased the maximum age entry from 35 to 50, doubled the Garda training allowance and increased the mandatory retirement age from 60 to 62. I have also ensured that new regulations were in place to allow for a new Garda Reserve competition, with 1,800 people applying to join. Nothing is off the table when it comes to supporting Garda recruitment.”
96 probationer gardaí have been assigned to the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR), 31 to the Eastern Region, 18 to the Southern Region, and 24 to the North Western Region. 4 of those attesting today are former Garda Reserve members.
Today is the fourth attestation to take place at the Garda College in 2024, following previous events in March, June and September.
A further intake of trainees will enter the Garda College on Monday, 16 December 2024. This is the last of four intakes planned for 2024, with previous intakes to Templemore in April, July, and September.
The unprecedented allocation of over €2.48 billion to An Garda Síochána in Budget 2025, demonstrates the government’s commitment to ensuring An Garda Síochána has provision for the equipment, technology, facilities, fleet and personnel it needs to carry out vital policing work. This is a 27% increase since 2020 and will allow for the sustained recruitment of new Garda recruits through to next year.