Recruitment of Garda support staff tops 2,500 as officers go back on beat

MORE than 2,500 civilians have been recruited by the gardaí in a bid to get officers back on the beat, it has emerged.

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern revealed the number of people employed as support staff in An Garda Síochána rose by 60% over the last two years.

Mr Ahern said the move has enabled the greatest possible number of frontline gardaí to focus on core policing work and the fight against crime.

The minister maintained that it also showed the force was a rapidly changing organisation, with civilians appointed to an ever wider range of managerial and administrative roles and specialist functions.

“Significant progress has been made in the recruitment of additional civilian staff,” said Mr Ahern, at the official opening of the decentralised offices of Garda Civilian Human Resources Directorate, the Probation Service Head Office and the Coroners Service Implementation Team in Navan.

“It is important to note that we have moved dramatically from an era when civilian staffing was almost exclusively confined to clerical support in Garda stations around the country and in Garda Headquarters.”

Almost two years ago Garda Inspector Kathleen O’Toole recommended a radical shake-up of the force, which included hiring civilians as support staff and at senior level.

Mr Ahern said that since then appointments have been made to the positions of chief administrative officer, executive director of ICT, director of communications and head of legal affairs.

A significant number of other senior and middle management civilian posts were also created in HR, finance, procurement, IT, housing, transport, crime and policing analysis and internal audit which helped kickstart successful flagship initiatives.

“This has led to an increased recognition of the potential benefits of even further civilianisation,” said Mr Ahern.