Garda applicants 'being kept in limbo' over training decision as numbers dwindle
Eamonn Issues Said File Training No Farrell/rollingnews Garda There In Headquarters Photo: Templemore Garda Capacity Are At Ie The College
Would-be garda recruits are “frustrated” by alleged delays in their applications, leaving them “in limbo” while the force struggles to reach recruitment targets.
Despite passing all stages of the application process more than six months ago, including exams, interviews, a medical and a fitness test, multiple potential recruits say that they have not yet been offered a place.
Garda HR has repeatedly told them that “suitability checks” are outstanding, one would-be recruit said.
But there is no reason why his application should be delayed, having lodged his garda vetting more than 12 months ago and having never lived abroad, he said.
Hearing about the ongoing garda recruitment and retention crisis is frustrating when numerous people are being delayed from joining for no clear reason, he said.
"It's their fault, they have plenty of people waiting, and we're being kept in limbo.
“I can’t plan anything while I am waiting to hear, it is like my life and fellow candidates' lives are on hold. They have people but it’s their choice to delay us, they have people if they want people."
Ireland currently has 14,146 sworn gardaí. And some 343 garda recruits are training at the garda college.
A government target of 15,000 gardaí has been set while Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has said the force actually needs to grow to 18,000 to effectively police an expanding population.
Garda headquarters denied that there are any delays with processing garda applicants due to any resourcing issues within An Garda Síochána. It also said there are no training capacity issues at the Garda College in Templemore.
A would-be garda trainee said: “I applied for the Gardaí in March 2023 and I successfully completed all elements of the rigorous application process in March 2024. It took me one year in total to complete the process.
“Every time we have reached out to Garda HR to check the progress of our application we have been told there are 'suitability checks outstanding'. We have been given no timeline or indication of how long these checks will take. If we ask what checks in particular they go silent.
"It is frustrating to hear about An Garda Síochána's recruitment difficulties when we are waiting to hear about our future."
A statement from garda headquarters said: "The recruitment process for entry into An Garda Síochána is rigorous and involves several stages, including exams, interviews, fitness tests, medical examinations, and thorough security vetting.
"The security vetting process will take additional time, particularly if a candidate has spent time abroad, as this will require co-ordination with international authorities which is outside of the control of An Garda Síochána."
Formal offers for a place as a Garda Trainee can only be made on successful completion of all stages of the application process, the statement said.
"And Garda Trainee applicants go through a two-stage application process, initially with the Public Appointments Service and then by An Garda Síochána."