Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
562. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the plans there are to significantly increase Garda recruitment and make a career in policing more attractive to the younger generation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73464/25]
View answerGetting more Gardaí on our streets to improve community safety and to prevent and detect crime is my first priority as Minister. This Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with Budget 2026 providing unprecedented funding of €2.59 billion to support recruitment and staffing.
Recruitment into An Garda Síochána is now gathering real momentum. Overall, 794 trainees have entered the Garda College this year, the highest number since 2018. There was also significant interest in two Garda recruitment competitions, with over 11,100 people applying to join An Garda Síochána in 2025. This demonstrates that there is a strong and sustained interest in a career as a Garda amongst the public and further recruitment competitions will be run, as required, to ensure that there is a steady pipeline of new recruits ready to enter the Garda College.
The next intake of trainees to the college is in February 2026.
At the end of October, the total Garda personnel strength stood at over 18,000, which included 14,290 Gardaí, 3,487 Garda Staff, and 291 Reserves. I will continue to support An Garda Síochána to increase this number further so that we can see more Gardaí assigned all across the country.
