Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

We find ourselves in a position across the country where we have approximately 1,000 fewer gardaí than we should have. This is because the impact of Covid-19 meant no new recruits went into the college in Templemore for two years. We had gathered momentum in the recruitment campaigns at that stage and they had been producing significant numbers of new members. We are only back to those numbers now because it has taken time to do so through various campaigns. Work has been done to encourage more people to apply and to retain the gardaí we have because throughout those two years while no new recruits were coming in, we naturally still had retirements and people leaving. We are at full employment, so while we do have people leaving the Garda, the rate at which this is happening is still below the rates found in police forces in other jurisdictions.

In saying that, the more gardaí we can get passing through Templemore, the more Cork will benefit, the more my county will benefit, the more Dublin will benefit and the more everybody will benefit. In the interim though, it is about ensuring the gardaí we have on the force, who are doing excellent work, have the resources they need and are supported by civilian staff. Separate from the recruitment campaigns for training places in Templemore, recruitment campaigns are also under way for new Garda staff. We have also opened the new campaign for the Garda Reserve because we know how effective its members can be, particularly when we are looking at community policing and assisting gardaí out on the beat engaging with particular types of crimes or even antisocial behaviour. The members of the Garda Reserve are very effective in these types of situations. This campaign is under way and I encourage people to participate in it.

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