Raising age limit of gardaí 'will not solve recruitment issue'

Newly graduated gardaí Emer Sheehan and Eva Mahedy celebrating during Friday's passing out parade in Templemore. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

The president of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) has said that raising the age limit of garda recruits to 50 won’t solve the issues faced by the force.

On Friday, Justice Minister Helen McEntee acknowledged that raising the age limit from 35 to 50 will come with challenges and “everybody will still have to do fitness test”.

The garda fitness test is going to be adapted to reflect the age change.

The minister also said the current garda retirement age of 60 should be higher. “I want to change it, and I’m in discussions with the Minister for Public Expenditure,” she said on Morning Ireland.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris presenting Garda ID to the new gardaí at Friday's passing out parade in Templemore. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

“We haven’t reached a conclusion, but that is where I hope to get it.”

She also accepted that it will take time to train new gardaí.

Ms McEntee also acknowledged that the population in Ireland is growing and that the country needs to “see that the garda workforce grows with it”.

Nothing is off the table to support the gardaí and the work they are doing. It’s my job to support them in every way that we can.

GRA president Brendan O’Connor said extending the age limit could see more people with specific life skills joining the force.

However, he was not convinced that people in their 40s with children and mortgages would be enticed into joining the force at entry level.

Currently, garda recruits in Templemore training college earn €184 per week over a 30-week training programme.

Tuesday’s budget saw that increase to €305 per week. However the average starting wage for gardaí is €34,000.

The increase in the age limit for joining the gardaí comes following a Labour Court ruling in February that said the cut-off applying at 35 years is “discriminatory”.

The court had ordered An Garda Síochána to pay €12,700 to two men who had taken a case where they alleged discrimination.

Garda Alan Campbell with his parents, John and Mary Campbell, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, and Justice Minister Helen McEntee at Friday's passing out parade in Templemore. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

Mr O’Connor said: “Apart from the challenges of the job, telling someone, ‘you’re joining a national organisation, you could be sent anywhere in the country’ — most people in their 30s and 40s might have a mortgage, might have a family and other considerations that could make it less appealing to them.

“But there will be certain people — perhaps police officers, Irish people who serve on other police forces — maybe it’ll be attractive to them but you’re starting at the bottom of the pay scale too so there’s lots of challenges for the individual and for the organisation.

“I think it’s good that we open it up to anyone who has the skill sets that can contribute to the force, but it is certainly not in any way going to be a solution to the recruitment and retention crisis.”

Mr O’Connor said the GRA would prefer to see emphasis on making the job “more pleasant and enjoyable and hold onto the people we have”.

On Friday, 126 garda recruits graduated from Templemore college in a ceremony attended by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris and Justice Minister Helen McEntee.