Figures show just one quarter of all gardaí are female
But, apart from the top position of commissioner, females remain unrepresented in the second and third tiers of the hierarchy, and remain significantly underrepresented in the three ranks below that.
Figures show that the number of female gardaí has jumped by 50% in 10 years — from 2,180 in December 2005 to 3,332 in September 2015.
The gender breakdown, provided by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald, shows that 26% of the force are female officers. This compares with 18% in 2005 and 24% in 2010.
Broken down by rank, the figures show a steady increase in presence:
- 28% of garda rank is female (20% in 2005).
- 17% of sergeant rank is female (8% in 2005)
- 11% of inspector rank is female (6% in 2005)
The trend continues in the higher ranks, but does not increase at inspector level.
Of the 162 superintendents, 14 are female (9%). Of the 44 chief superintendents, five are female (11%).
The situation is worse above that, with none of the five assistant commissioners female.
Of the two newly promoted deputy commissioners, neither is female.
Commissioner Noirín O’Sullivan is the first female police boss in the organisation’s history.
It is yet to the seen if any of those due to be promoted to rank of assistant commissioner will be female.
The current recruitment process restarted near the end of 2014, after a gap of six years.
Since 2005, the number of male gardaí, of all ranks, has fallen by 6% — from 10,084 to 9,460.
However, following recruitment, the number of male gardaí has increased for the first time since 2009.
