Crime was “rapidly” changing in the Republic and Garda recruitment targets should be revised upwards to keep pace but there was no crisis in retaining existing members of the force, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has said.
“I not only want to get to the current target of 15,000 gardaí, but given population growth, demographic change and the rapidly changing nature of crime, I believe there is a strong case for there to be more than 15,000 gardaí,” he said.
Under pressure over falling Garda numbers, Mr Harris has firmly pushed back against claims a Defence Forces-style retention problem was emerging in the force.
He pointed out 109 Garda members had resigned last year, which he said was 0.8 per cent of 14,100-strong sworn members in the force. However, he pledged to soon introduce exit interviews to establish why resigning Garda members were leaving the force, saying any resignation was of concern.
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Aside from resignations, last year saw 340 retirements, bringing to approximately 450 the number of gardaí who left the organisation in 2022.
On the issue of recent attacks on members of the force, Mr Harris said a “small minority” of society believed “gardaí can be attacked just because they are carrying out their duties”. This was “not acceptable”, though the “vast majority of the public have great respect for the work that gardaí do to keep them safe”.
“I will continue to ensure we provide gardaí with the equipment they need to do their jobs safely and effectively,” Mr Harris said, adding 1,000 new recruits would be taken into the force this year, which meant he was “confident” numbers I the force would “soon” be growing again. Garda members would also receive more safety equipment and training, while Mr Harris also expressed his support for the roll-out of body-worn cameras for frontline gardaí.
He issued the remarks after meeting with the Garda Representative Association (GRA), Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI), Association of Garda Superintendents (AGS) and Association of Garda Chief Superintendents (AGCS). The associations requested the meeting to discuss their concerns about recent attacks on gardaí and falling Garda numbers.
The GRA and AGSI – who represent rank and file gardaí, sergeants and inspectors – have expressed concern Garda numbers have fallen by around 650 since their peak of 14,750 in March, 2020, at which point the pandemic forced the closure of the Garda College, Templemore, Co Tipperary.
AGSI has called on the Government to expedite legislation providing for body-worn cameras, which it believes will deter, and help solve, attacks on gardaí. It has long called for mandatory sentencing for those who assault emergency workers. The GRA has called for a taskforce to examine recruitment and Garda welfare issues, a proposal Tánaiste Micheál Martin at the weekend said could be considered.
However, in his comments on Monday evening, Mr Harris said the number of Garda staff, civilian workers, in the force had increased by 1,200 in recent years, which had freed up 800 gardaí from administration duties, facilitating their redeployment to frontline duties.
