Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 July 2023
49. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Justice the current operational strength of An Garda Síochána; if she will include a breakdown of new recruits, retirements, resignations, gardaí unavailable for duty and any analysis on the projected numbers of gardaí over the next 18 months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34000/23]
View answerIn light of the very worrying trend of a continuing decline month on month in garda numbers, I ask the Minister to set out what the current operational strength is and what her projections are and to give that in detail in terms of new recruits, retirements, resignations and what the net figures will be or are likely to be over the next 18 months.
As I have just outlined to Deputy Daly, this is a priority for me in my engagement with the Garda Commissioner and his team. We are absolutely committed to building stronger, safer communities, and the role and the strength of the Garda will be key to that. We have allocated a budget of €2 billion for this year for An Garda Síochána. When it comes to recruitment, therefore, money is not an issue. We have funding for new recruits entering Templemore every 11 weeks. I can confirm that there are currently 370 recruits in the Garda College in Templemore.
The number of recruits has continued to grow in each class following the reopening of the college after Covid-19. While I do not like it, it is unfortunately a fact that in those two years the recruits who were in the college had to be released out to do some of their training on the ground. That meant that the numbers going through the college stopped or reduced to a trickle. Subsequently, we have had to re-engage and to get the process up and running. Some 92 recruits entered the training college in late November, when that process started again, with 135 in February and 154 in May, and another class will enter at the end of this month. Obviously, we want to continue those numbers in that trajectory.
Our initial recruitment campaign saw 11,000 people apply last year, with 5,000 reapplying or applying for the first time in this year's recruitment campaign. We are doing this to ensure we have a steady flow of recruits and people who are interested. These figures show that a large number of people want to join the Garda and see it as a fantastic career.
I understand that the development of a recruitment and retention strategy is a priority for the Garda. As of the end of May, there were 13,927 Garda members across the country. This represented an 8% increase on our numbers since 2015. As all Deputies will appreciate, though, we need to be moving in the opposite-----
2015? The population has increased by 1 million since then.
Absolutely. It is a net increase overall, but we need it to be greater. Our Templemore figures were moving in a positive direction for two years. Unfortunately, though, they have slowed down.
Garda numbers are continuing to decline. They have declined every month for the past 12 months. As she set out, the Minister's plan to deal with this decline was to recruit five different intake classes of 200. That has been a failure. The February intake was 135. The May intake was 154. Many of those being offered places at the Garda College are not taking them up. This is a serious crisis, one that will not be resolved by the measures the Minister has outlined.
I understand, and the Minister has told us, that the Garda Commissioner has given assurances that the best he can hope for is that there will not be a net loss of gardaí this year. We need to start building numbers. Will the Minister set out for the House how she will deal with the numbers declining month on month? Peak Garda numbers occurred in March 2020 when they totalled 14,720. Last month, there were 13,927. That was almost 850 fewer. What is the Minister’s strategy to deal with his situation?
The only way we will increase those numbers is by getting as many gardaí through Templemore as possible.
We are failing in that.
Absolutely, but as can be seen from previous years, it takes time to start building momentum and to get a steady flow of candidates through Templemore. I agree that the 92, 135 and 154 are not the numbers we had hoped for, but we are moving in the right direction. In previous years, the situation progressed in this way and numbers came through steadily.
We meet the Garda Commissioner and his team weekly. There is a lengthy process. The Public Appointments Service has to interview all of the candidates and ensure that people are still interested. We have a fluid environment in which there is full employment. Recruitment is not just a problem for the Garda, but right across the public service. Once candidates go through a number of interviews, they must undergo physical, medical and aptitude tests as well as a vetting process. They must then return for further interviews. Unfortunately, this process takes longer than any of us would like. We have examined how to allow different stages to occur simultaneously, but there are certain parts that cannot happen in parallel. My objective is to ensure that as many people pass through Templemore as possible. It will mean another recruitment campaign and keeping the finger on the pulse, and that is what will happen.
We had a debate on housing just before these questions. The simple message is that if the strategy is not working, as it patently is not in terms of Garda recruitment, one has to do something different. The Minister’s ambition was to have 1,000 additional gardaí trained this year. We are halfway through the year and she tells us we have 370 in training. Her target is not going to be reached. That is a simple fact. We will have a further decline.
My colleague, Mr. Peter Horgan, tells me that Garda numbers in Cork city are down 145 since 2020 out of a total strength of 723. To mention some popular tourist areas in my own constituency, which the Minister of State would know, there is now one garda in Courtown where there used to be four and four in Bunclody where there used to be eight. This is a pattern across the country. It is not sustainable as our population increases. What new approach is the Minister going to take to stop the haemorrhaging of gardaí and ensure they are replaced?
A number of steps are being taken to try to identify why members are leaving, but I must stress that over the past seven years the average number of members leaving and choosing different career paths has been between 0.5% and 0.7%. It is at just under 1% now, so there has not been a major loss of gardaí. There has been an increase in recruitment. There was a significant influx many years ago when the college was open. Unfortunately, we are now in a period when a larger number of gardaí are retiring than in previous years. The only way to respond to this is by ensuring we get numbers into Templemore and through the college.
But the Government is not.
It is not that people have not applied. Rather, it is a question of going through the process. It will take time to achieve a steady flow. We can see that while it is not happening as quickly as I would like, the numbers are increasing and we are reaching the stage where we will have a steady flow. That is the priority. We are performing exit interviews with everyone who leaves and we are trying to identify other ways in which we can encourage people. This has to do with the €2 billion for the Garda, body-worn cameras, new technologies, new equipment and capital investment, thereby making the Garda as attractive as we can for those who want to join. It is about getting people into the college. We are heading in the right direction.
