Garda Reserve recruitment to begin next week

Recruitment for the new Garda Reserve force will begin on Monday.

The Minister for Justice said today it's an exciting and important development, and will be a valuable support for the Gardaí.

The Minister is hoping to recruit 900 members to the Reserve force by September.

Criteria for applying will be broadly the same as for a full Garda position.

Reserve members must be aged between 18 and 60, they'll have to pass a medical, and will be vetted to exactly the same extent as candidates for the Gardaí.

Reserve members will get 120 hours of initial training.

They won't be deployed in their own neighbourhoods, and will work for at least 208 hours a year.

Their duties include going on patrols and carrying out road traffic duties, alongside a full time garda.

They won't carry out plain clothes duties or carry any firearms, but will have the power of arrest.

Reserve members will have limited access to the PULSE system and will, when in uniform, be subject to a similar code of discipline as permanent gardaí.