McDowell unveils €325m plan for 1,800 extra gardaí

JUSTICE MINISTER Michael McDowell yesterday published his blueprint to put an extra 1,800 gardaí on the streets.

He also announced proposals to remove educational and Irish language requirements for immigrants in order to make the force more multi-ethnic.

Mr McDowell said the €325 million plan to bring the strength of the force to 14,000 by 2008 involved:

Increasing the recruitment capacity at the Garda College by building a new four-storey building.

Temporarily removing in-service and management training outside the college.

Moving some recruits into garda stations for work experience.

"Each quarter, for the next three years, around 274 recruits will be taken into the college. That compares to a maximum of 170 in recent years," said Mr McDowell.

The minister said he wanted to "substantially" raise the maximum age of entry above the 25-year-old cut-off point. He said the recruitment drive would kick-off in the next six weeks with an advertising drive in national media.

Mr McDowell said the plan included projected retirement figures, numbering 382 this year, 450 in 2005 and 500 in 2007.

He said the extra gardaí would be put "directly into frontline, operational, high visibility policing", including drugs, public order and traffic duties.

He said at least 400 new graduates would go straight into the new Road Traffic Corps.

He said a strength of 14,000 would remove the "shadow" hanging over garda numbers in rural areas.

He said the requirement of the Irish language amounted to "practical discrimination" towards ethnic groups and some recruits from Northern Ireland.

Mr McDowell said the new four-storey block in Templemore College would be completed by the end of next year.

Garda Representative Association (GRA) president Dermot O'Donnell said: "We wish him well.

"But this is not the first time we've heard it. It's the fifth or sixth time this tune has been played.

"I hope this time it's going to be true."

Mr O'Donnell questioned whether the four-storey building could be built within the tight schedule set by Mr McDowell.

He said a GRA-commissioned independent research concluded the force needed an extra 4,000 gardaí.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said he welcomed more gardaí, but the plans were "grossly misleading".

Mr Kenny said only 81 extra gardaí had been recruited in the past three years and, based on the minister's figures, only a further 1,000 officers would be recruited.

Labour spokesman Joe Costello said it was "highly unlikely" the four-story building would be built on schedule.

Mr McDowell accused the opposition of behaving like "children in a pram".