The Minister for Justice and Law Reform, Mr McDowell, announced yesterday that he intends to increase the maximum age of entry to the Garda Síochána from 26 to 35 years with almost immediate effect, while keeping the retirement age at 57.
The move, which is subject to Cabinet agreement, comes as the Government sets about fulfilling its commitment to increase the force from 11,747 to 14,000.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony for 170 new members in the Garda College in Templemore, Co Tipperary, Mr McDowell said that a record recruitment drive would start in the coming weeks. Almost 1,100 recruits per year would be taken on in the coming three years to meet the Government's target.
Increasing the entry age limit would extend the opportunity for many more people of a career in the force and would increase the pool of talent in the ranks.
"It is my intention, subject to Government approval, that the maximum age will apply to all future recruitment competitions," the Minister said.
To facilitate the recruitment drive, the college will be significantly refurbished and extended next year.
The Minister said he wanted to examine existing criteria to see if change might be possible to facilitate recruitment from people of different ethnic backgrounds.
While he recognised the need to pass Irish in the Leaving Certificate had implications for potential recruits, the Minister believed it would be wrong to assume that the answer is simply abolishing the Irish clause.
The Minister said he would maintain the compulsory retirement age of 57, but revealed that he intended setting up a Garda reserve force to draw on the experience of older members for the benefit of the force.
He praised the bravery of the trainee garda who was shot in the hand in Dublin on Wednesday night, but ruled out suggestions that it was time to arm the gardaí.
"I believe an unarmed police force has the support of the people and it is my aim to sustain that." He said he favoured instead the option of confronting armed criminals "with penalties they would never forget".
Proposals for a mandatory minimum sentence for serious firearms offences were being studied. "I believe the change is necessary to prevent the growing gun culture and to preserve the status of the Garda Síochána as a largely unarmed force which polices by consent...The use of firearms by criminals will be repressed with all the severity that I can muster."
The Garda Representative Association issued a cautious welcome to the age limit announcement. "Anything that contributes to the policing deficit in Ireland is very much welcomed," said Mr Dermot O'Donnell, president of the GRA, before asking that the Minister elaborate on the retirement clause.