The moratorium on recruitment which will leave the Garda training college in Templemore unused for several years is a “mistake”, the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) has said.
AGSI deputy general secretary John Redmond said while he accepts the Government are in a difficult financial position, the decision - which is part of an overall ban on recruitment across the public sector - is short-sighted.
"There is only one significant growth industry in any recession and that is crime," he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.
“We look at the European ratio of police officers to citizens and the average ratio is one to 314 people, in Ireland it's one to 346. I don’t know of any study which has been carried out by Government to decide that we can operate with 13,000 police officers in Ireland by end of 2012 where a minister a couple of years ago said we needed 16,000.”
Mr Redmond said although the country is “in a bit of a state” in terms of finances policing is “essential”.
“You can’t draw down a big line across a sheet of paper and say OK we have decided without thinking it through. I think there’s more to it than the day to day finance and I’m not sure the IMF would look negatively upon efforts being made to police the community in the best way possible,” he added.
Mr Redmond said the association will discuss the issue with the Minister for Justice Alan Shatter shortly.
Sinn Féin spokesman on justice Jonathan O’Brien also criticised the move by saying that communities would suffer the effects of the “short-sighted proposal”.
“Not only are we going to suffer due to a lack of garda numbers in the short term but as senior experienced Gardaí are lost there will be two year period were no new recruits are being trained and gaining the necessary experience,” Mr O’Brien added.