Press release
Minister O’Callaghan welcomes largest intake to garda college since 2019
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan today (Monday) welcomed the largest intake of trainee Gardaí in six years. 201 trainees entered the Garda College in Templemore on Monday, the highest number since 2019.
The intake follows the attestation of 149 new probationer Gardaí at a ceremony in Templemore on Friday.
The Minister O'Callaghan today said the high intake reflects the growing momentum in Garda recruitment.
Minister O'Callaghan said:
"I am delighted to see such a large number of trainee Gardaí enter Templemore today. This government is fully committed to strengthening An Garda Síochána by 5,000 members over the next five years.
"We have already taken a number of significant measures to boost recruitment and we will continue to explore all options. More and more Gardaí are coming through this College and onto our streets and this shows these measures are working.
"I have made increasing recruitment to An Garda Síochána a priority issue. More Gardaí in our cities, villages, and towns is fundamental to achieving our goal of ensuring people are safe and feel safe.”
The latest Garda recruitment campaign was launched in February and received over 6,700 applications. This marks a continued increase on the 5,000 applications received in 2023 and the almost 6,400 last year.
The Minister for Justice added:
"This is a hugely positive story for An Garda Síochána, which I hope will help to change the recent narrative around its workforce. The high number of applications shows that the message that this is a job worth doing is resonating with the public and is a testament to the innovative and creative recruitment campaign that was run by An Garda Síochána last month.
"I also welcome the fact that 32% of applicants are female, 42% of applicants are aged 30 and over, and 23% of those who stated their background have detailed an ethnic background other than white Irish. An Garda Síochána is a community-focused policing service so it is important that it reflect our diverse and thriving communities.
"To maximise the impact of the Garda recruitment efforts a Recruitment and Training Capacity Group has been established. The Group will keep me informed on actions to ensure the 2025 recruitment campaign can be as effective as possible. The Group will also provide a final report to me by the summer which I will include measures to support recruitment and retention.”
The government is committed to building stronger, safer communities, and strengthening An Garda Síochána is at the core of that. This is reflected in the unprecedented allocation of over €2.48 billion to An Garda Síochána in Budget 2025, a 27% increase since 2020. This funding allows for the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff.
The Programme for Government commits to examining a range of further measures to enable An Garda Síochána recruit 5,000 members across the next five years.
The latest Garda recruitment campaign, which ran from 7 February 2025 and closed on 27 February. 6,784 people applied as part of the competition. 32% of applicants are female, 42% of applicants are aged 30 and over, and 23% of those who stated their background have detailed an ethnic background other than white Irish.
201 trainees entered Templemore on 10 March. This follows the attestation of 149 Gardaí on 7 March. These Gardaí have now been allocated to stations around the country.