Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 January 2017
190. Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will increase the age limit from 35 to 40 years of age for Garda reserves to be eligible to apply for a Garda position; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1548/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Garda Reserve was established in accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005 to enhance the links between An Garda Síochána and local communities and consists of voluntary unpaid members, drawn from the community, to support the work of An Garda Síochána. The Reserve perform policing duties as determined by the Garda Commissioner, while accompanied by full time Gardaí. Their role is to provide local patrols and participate in crime prevention initiatives targeted at specific local problem areas. Reserve members are also involved in policing major incidents and events, and in providing other operational support to full time Gardaí. In recent years the Garda Commissioner has conferred further powers on reserve members under the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 and the Road Traffic Act 1961 and has also decided that they should carry out more duties including the serving of summonses, and the issuing of Fixed Charge Penalty Notices where offences are detected.
The age at which any candidate may apply to join An Garda Síochána as a full time member is set by Regulation 4 (a) of the Garda Síochána (Admissions and Appointments) Regulations 2013. It is set at not more than 35 years.
This upper age limit of 35 was set having regard to equality legislation and also took into account the following criteria:
(1) the cost of training and the need for recruits to serve for a sufficient period of time as full members of the service to recoup this cost,
(2) the operational requirements of the service in terms of having an age profile appropriate to the physical demands placed on members in the course of their duty.
This Regulation applies without discrimination and no concessions are available to any person. There are currently no plans to change this situation.
The 2013 Regulations provide that special recognition may be given to Reserve members in the context of the selection process as they have undergone training in many of the skills required to be an effective full-time member of An Garda Síochána and have gained experience in operational policing. The recruitment campaign for 2016 included for the first time a special stream for eligible members of the Reserve. This special stream was continued in the most recent campaign. To be eligible for the special Reserve stream a reserve member is required to have completed their probation, performed their role to a satisfactory standard, and served a minimum of 150 hours per year for two of the previous four years. The Reserve stream is essentially a fast-track stream in that it allows the eligible reserves to skip stage 1 (unsupervised on-line tests) of the competitive assessment process and move straight to stage 2 which consists of supervised assessment tests taken in an assessment centre. Those who meet the required standard are then called to a competency based interview. Successful candidates are fast tracked through the medical, fitness and vetting assessments undertaken by An Garda Síochána.
