Gardaí encourage ethnic groups to apply as trainees

Irish Examiner News 26-10-2016 generic gardai garda check point, road stop squad car, police car, mic, spray, belt, car, blue lights,. Picture Dan Linehan

Garda efforts to interest migrants and ethnic groups in the forthcoming garda recruitment campaign have been welcomed by advocacy groups and religious leaders.

The recruitment campaign, which kicks off on Thursday, has the target of taking in 800 students into Templemore College this year.

The lack of ethnic diversity in the force has been a major issue and a Garda Diversity and Inclusion Strategy was published in 2019.

As part of the recruitment campaign, an information session targeting migrants, Travellers and ethnic groups is being held in Pearse Street Garda Station in Dublin next Tuesday.

The in-person event can hold 30 people and is organised with the station's community policing unit.

Valeria Aquino, Integration Officer at the Immigrant Council, said they welcomed and supported, the Garda efforts to make it more reflective of the diversity in Ireland.

“Increasing the number of gardaí from ethnic minority backgrounds will influence positive change, promote social cohesion and help law enforcement develop a better understanding of the cultures and lived experiences of these groups,” Ms Aquino said.

There is still a lot to be done to reach a fair representation of ethnic minorities in the public sector, but definitely, initiatives like this can be the first step. 

She said that hopefully there would be more initiatives like the Garda one across all State agencies.

Dr Umar Al-Qadri, Chief Imam at the Islamic Centre of Ireland, said ethnic minorities had been historically failed by policing around the world.

“Whilst Ireland is far from the worst, and things gradually continue to improve, more urgent change is needed and the inclusion of these diverse voices in recruitment is an important first step to ensure a more reflective police force in our communities,” he said.

Shaykh Al-Qadri said he was “fully supportive" of the Garda efforts to increase diversity in their ranks, but added: "These must be followed up by empowering these recruits to bring the intimate knowledge of their communities' unique challenges and structural issues to make for better policing, and by ensuring that diversity is reflected across all levels of AGS, not merely entry-level recruits as a box-ticking exercise.” 

He said he was unaware of any specific events planned with the Muslim community yet but said he would be “more than willing to support and assist in the facilitation of any such events”.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has said “targeted strategies” were needed for the recruitment, retention and advancement of a diverse police service and called for specific diversity targets.

The recruitment campaign comes as a series of initiatives and events were announced to mark 100 years since the formation of An Garda Síochána.