Target for new Garda recruits falls short

Garda recruitment numbers for 2025 are expected to be between 600 and 650, well below the target of 1,000, with Meath holding the lowest number per capita in any county in Ireland.

The most recent figures for Gardaí numbers on 30th April show that there was 317 across county Meath.

There is a total of 14,257 Garda members, 3,670 staff and 316 Reserves.

The current government target for Garda recruitment is 5,000 over the next five years, but Minister for Justice TD Jim O'Callaghan said that recruitment numbers for this year will be between 600 and 650 and the annual target will not be met.

"This is a major shortfall and will have a very significant impact on communities across the state” Sinn Féin TD O’Rourke said.

"Everyone is in agreement that we need more Gardaí on our streets and in our communities. This is most important in Meath, where we have, for many years, had the lowest number of gardaí per head of population."

“For a population now well in excess of 220,000, this is the lowest in the state, and wholly inadequate."

The first garda recruitment competition for 2025 launched in February this year and over 6,700 applications were received.

“This demonstrates the continued interest in a career as a member An Garda Síochána” Minister O’Callaghan said.

He said An Garda Síochána and public jobs are intending to run a second recruitment competitions later this year.

There were 201 Garda trainees entering Templemore college in March, the largest intake since 2019, and a further 170 entered earlier this month with two more groups to enter in August and November.

A Recruitment and Training Capacity Group was established that will provide a final report expected to contain measures to support recruitment and retention.