Garda numbers drop to lowest in a decade

The number of gardaí based in stations decreased by over 300 last year as the size of the force fell to its lowest level in a decade. Department of Justice figures obtained by the Irish Examiner show the number of gardaí working in the 563 Garda stations at the end of 2014 stood at 10,976 — down 307 compared to a year earlier, representing an annual decrease of 2.7%. It is the first time the figure has dipped below 11,000 since 2006.

Mon, 27 Apr, 2015 - 01:00

Sean McCarthaigh

The total size of the force when gardaí attached to national crime units and Garda headquarters in the Phoenix Park are included was 12,799. That is below the 13,000 threshold seen by senior Garda management as a basic minimum requirement. A further 36 gardaí left the force in the first two months of 2015.

However, the decrease in the size of the force should be arrested in the short-term as the first 100 of 300 trainee gardaí graduated last week — the first recruitment of new officers since 2009. The justice minister announced recently the Government has also sanctioned an extra 250 student garda places over the coming 12 months.

However, Fianna Fáil Justice spokesperson Niall Collins said additional factors including the fact that around 500 gardaí are out sick at any one time, while another 234 are on an incentivised career break meant Garda resources would remain “critically low.”

Adding to fears about the depletion of Garda manpower is the fact that a total of 1,498 gardaí are eligible to retire in 2015. The latest figures come as the Garda Representative Association, which believes the proper strength of the force should be 18,000, also recently warned the force’s efficiency was being compromised by years of non-recruitment with the potential of an even more serious manpower crisis unless there was a policy of recruiting new trainees on an annual basis.

Meanwhile, several counties experienced a reduction in garda staffing levels in excess of 4% last year including Kildare, Offaly and Carlow. Dublin and Limerick, which have the highest overall crime rates, also saw garda numbers shrink by around 4%.

Kildare, which already has the lowest ratio of gardaí to population of any county in Ireland — saw the strength of the force fall by 14 or 4.4% to 301 gardaí. The county now has just over 14 gardaí per 10,000 population compared to the national average of almost 24.

Counties with the highest per capita number of gardaí — Leitrim, Longford, Sligo and Roscommon — have more than twice the rate of garda personnel stationed in Kildare — at over 30 gardaí for every 10,000 citizens. Other counties with garda staffing levels far below the national average are concentrated in Leinster — Meath, Wexford, Offaly, Carlow, Laois and Kilkenny.

The Garda division of Dublin South Central, which includes one of the country’s busiest stations at Pearse Street, saw one of the largest reductions in personnel last year — down 6.4% with 44 fewer gardaí.

At district level, several areas saw garda numbers fall over 6% in 2014. They include Castlebar, Cahir, Leixlip, Ardee, Ballymote, Tramore and Blackrock and Kevin Street in Dublin.

The justice minister has said Garda Commissioner Noirín O’Sullivan is responsible for the distribution of resources among the Garda regions, divisions and districts, which is kept under constant review.