Ahern confirms Garda recruitment drive

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern today confirmed more new Gardai will be recruited before the end of the year after he lifted the moratorium on hiring imposed by the Government due to the financial crisis.

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern today confirmed more new Guardia will be recruited before the end of the year after he lifted the moratorium on hiring imposed by the Government due to the financial crisis.

The announcement was due to have been made at the GRA conference earlier this week. Minister Ahern pulled out of a scheduled appearance at the conference after details emerged of a controversial speech in which the Government was accused of being corrupted by years of power.

It has also been revealed that GRA bosses have been summoned to a meeting with the Garda Commissioner tomorrow, at which they're expected to be rebuked over the content of the speech.

Minister Ahern announced the Garda recruitment drive today at a passing-out ceremony at the Garda College in Templemore.

Today's class of 267 new recruits thought they would some the last for a while.

But Minister Ahern said the moratorium was never intended to be permanent.

"I would have said this at the GRA conference," he said. "I am planning to commence recruitment before the end of the year in order to replace retirements and to keep Garda numbers up at approved levels."

Minister Ahern also said the GRA owed the people an apology for showing disrespect to the institutions of the State with the content of the contentious speech, which was to have been delivered by outgoing GRA President Michael O'Boyce at the body's conference in Limerick.

Now Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy looks set to haul the GRA leadership over the coals about the tone of the speech, in which Mr O'Boyce was intending to accuse the Government of “national sabotage”.

The GRA has been criticised in recent days for the "politicised" address.

Today Commissioner Murphy said he did not support any "adverse commentary" about politicians or anybody else.

"Gratuitous comments about corruption have no place in the work of An Garda Síochána," he said.

Commissioner Murphy told the latest recruits that they should seek to put their own personal and political views to one side when they put on the uniform.