Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 1 July 2026
19. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the steps that are being taken to increase An Garda Síochána numbers and visibility in communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49853/26]
View answerGetting more Gardaí on our streets to prevent and detect crime is my first priority as Minister. As I've said, we've allocated over €2.7 billion to the Garda Vote this year, the largest ever allocation.
This demonstrates the Government’s commitment to ensuring An Garda Síochána has provision for the equipment, technology, facilities, fleet and personnel it needs to carry out vital policing work.
It is clear that recruitment into An Garda Síochána has gathered real momentum. Cohorts of over 200 trainees are now entering Templemore regularly. In the first intake of this year, 215 recruits entered Templemore. 201 Trainees entered the College on 4 May and to-date in 2026, 360 new Gardaí have already attested from Templemore.
It is worth highlighting that the most recent Garda Trainee recruitment campaign ran from 11 May until 3 June 2026. 4,123 applications were received, demonstrating the strong interest that there is among the public in a career in An Garda Síochána.
The overall Garda workforce has increased from 15,980 in 2016 to over 18,200 in 2026, according to Garda figures.
An Garda Siochana introduced a High Visibility Policing (HVP) Plan in Dublin City Centre in March 2025. This initiative has since been rolled out to Cork and Limerick City Centres, as well as areas of South Dublin, including Tallaght and Dún Laoghaire. The Garda Commissioner is committed to continuing this rollout to other areas of the Dublin Metropolitan Region, and to other areas nationwide. Ongoing Garda recruitment is supporting this commitment.
Feedback from business and the public on the High Visibility Policing approach in Dublin and the other cities where it has been introduced, has been very positive and I look forward to it being rolled out to other areas into the future.
