Five year reform and high level workforce plan for An Garda Síochána

The Government approved a Five Year Reform and High-level Workforce Plan for An Garda Síochána on 19 July 2016. The plan addresses the implementation of both the agreed recommendations of the 2015 Garda Inspectorate report Changing Policing in Ireland (which examined the operation and administration of An Garda Síochána and made some 80 main recommendations in relation to the structures of An Garda Síochána, its deployment practices, culture, human resources practices and financial management) and the Programme for a Partnership Government commitments aimed at increasing the visibility of An Garda Síochána.

Key aspects of the Plan include:

• an expanded and more civilianised Garda workforce of 21,000 people to be in place by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 4,000 civilians and 2,000 Reserves
• the move to a Divisional model of policing
• an examination of entry routes into An Garda Síochána by the Garda Inspectorate;
• the development of a plan to merge the Garda Technical Bureau with Forensic Science Ireland

The Government has agreed that the Garda Commissioner’s Modernisation and Renewal Programme 2016-2021, published in June 2016, will be the vehicle for the implementation of the agreed recommendations of the Changing Policing in Ireland report aimed at her organisation.

The Policing Authority, at the request of the Minister, are monitoring and assessing implementation by An Garda Síochána and providing quarterly progress reports. Each progress report to date can be downloaded at the following locations:

• Report 1: January 2017
• Report 2: April 2017
• Report 3: July 2017
• Report 4: December 2017
• Report 5: June 2018
• Report 6: August 2018

The Garda Inspectorate's recommendation that the number of Garda regions and divisions be reduced is not being implemented at this time but will be kept under review.