Largest single intake to Templemore since 2014

In the fourth intake this year, 223 entered the Garda Training College in Templemore this week. Overall, 794 trainees have entered the Garda College in 2025, the highest number since 2018.

Over 11,100 people applied to join An Garda Síochána this year demonstrating the strong and sustained interest in a career as a Garda.

In recent years, the government has introduced a number of initiatives to boost the number of Gardaí. These include increasing the maximum age of entry from 35 to 50, increasing the trainee allowance to €354 per week, and increasing the mandatory age of retirement to 62.

An Garda Síochána introduced measures to make the recruitment process more efficient. This includes the reform of the physical competency test, the introduction of a candidate-centred approach to elements of the recruitment process and the rationalisation of the vetting processes. The average length of time between a successful candidate submitting an application to join An Garda Síochána and entering Templemore is now 24 weeks, down from an average of 66 weeks in 2023.

The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration established a Recruitment and Training Capacity Group in 2024 to support the achievement of increased recruitment. The Group has now completed its work and has published its report, which details the changes that have already been made by Government, An Garda Síochána and publicjobs to their end-to-end processes for Garda Trainee recruitment.

The Group also recommends that a Working Group be established, in line with the commitments in the Programme for Government, to consider specifically the case for a second training college and the role that the tertiary education system, including regionally-based universities and technological universities, could play in the delivery of Garda training. Work is underway to establish this Group.