Budget 2021: Garda bosses to decide on recruitment plan for 600 new students

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Garda bosses will meet over the coming months to determine how they will implement the recruitment of 600 garda students planned under Budget 2021.

Garda figures show that just 275 recruits were taken on this year because of the restrictions imposed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Some 125 of these probationers were attested early to help with policing the crisis, meaning that just 150 recruits are currently in the system.

They are studying primarily online, apart from stints in Garda stations, followed by necessary physical training in Templemore College, which is otherwise largely closed.

“The 600 or so recruits for 2021 will be broken down in the usual batches, 200 or so in each,” said a Garda source.

“In terms of how we will manage it, it will have to be like the ones we currently have — a mixture of online training, the training in stations, and then in college. Of course, it all depends on what happens with Covid-19 and how that pans out.” 

The announcement in Budget 2021 that funding has been made available for “up to 620” new recruits is due to bring the Garda strength to 14,700 by the end of 2021.

Because of the restricted recruitment this year, it will be 300 short of the 15,000 target set by successive governments since 2016.

The Department of Justice maintains that by including an estimated 300 recruits in training in December 2021, it will have reached the 15,000 goal.

Last year’s budget planned for “up to 700” garda recruits in 2020 in order to reach 15,000 by the close of 2021.

Garda figures show there were 296 recruits in 2015, 393 in 2016, 883 in 2017, 789 in 2018, 605 in 2019 and 275 this year. Retirements for the respective years were 238, 228, 226, 218, 223, and 164 (up to August 2020).

The most recent figures for the number of gardaí in the country stands at 14,628. 

Some 500 garda staff civilians are also to be taken on under Budget 2021.

The department said that the gross allocation for the Garda vote is now at a record €1.952bn. This compares to €1.882bn in last year’s budget.

The Garda overtime fund remains at €95m, but, like most years, it is likely to be a subject of public scrutiny and discussions between Garda HQ and the department.

Some €8m is being provided for the Garda fleet and €34m for capital building projects.

Budget 2021 also promises an additional spend of €22m on Garda ICT and a separate €7m on more mobile devices for gardaí at the roadside.

An estimated €27m is being allotted for Covid-19 measures, including PPE for gardaí and prison officers, as well as new court facilities to allow for social distancing.

Justice minister Helen McEntee highlighted an increase of €2.7m in funding for domestic and sexual violence and victim support — a move that was welcomed by Rape Crisis Network Ireland.

The spend includes implementation of measures to protect vulnerable witnesses in sexual violence court cases, as recommended in the O’Malley Report.

Gross expenditure in other budget areas include:

• Prisons are to receive €394.5m, up from €383.3m in 2020;
• Courts Service receives €158.5m, up from €150.9m;
• An extra €2m is being provided for additional staffing at the Data Protection Commission;
• A further €500,000 is being provided for youth justice interventions, bringing the total allocation for these measures to almost €18m;
• The Criminal Assets Bureau gets an additional €900,000, bringing its budget to €9.96m;
• The Inspector of Prisons receives an extra €750,000 and a total allocation €1.95m;
• The Probation Service gets an increase of €1m, bringing its vote to €50m;
• Criminal Legal Aid is up €3.7m (total allocation €69m) while the Legal Aid Board gets an extra €2m (€44.6m);
• There is additional funding of €4.4m in current expenditure and €10m in capital expenditure for the delayed Forensic Science Ireland laboratory;
• The Policing Authority has a gross allocation of €3.8m, including an additional €350,000 in respect of updated recruitment processes to senior ranks of An Garda Síochána.

The Garda Representative Association said the increased allocation of funding for An Garda Síochána will put more boots on the ground and more tyres on the tarmac.

GRA president Jim Mulligan said funding to increase the Garda fleet and improve communications technology would be particularly welcome, and should improve the safety of members and the effectiveness of policing.