The Minister for Justice, Simon Harris TD, has welcomed the attestation of 24 new members of An Garda Síochána at the Garda College, Templemore, ahead of a significant acceleration of recruitment this year.

The newly attested members have now completed their training and will be placed in Garda Divisions throughout the country.

Minister Harris said, “I want to congratulate the recruits passing out in Templemore today. Their commitment to the security of the people of Ireland and to building stronger, safer communities is something which is to be commended and which we are all grateful for.”

“An Garda Síochána works tirelessly to ensure that people all over the country can go about their daily lives safely and securely. Much of this Trojan work goes unseen, and occasions like today’s attestation ceremony are important opportunities to recognise and acknowledge the efforts of our Gardaí.”

“In return, it is the role of Government to support the work of An Garda Síochána and my Department is committed to providing that support by way of unprecedented funding and strong legislation. I particularly welcome that, from next month, we will see 200 recruits enter the college every 11 weeks to meet our target, funded in Budget 2023, of recruiting 1,000 new Gardaí in 2023. And in the coming months, we will launch a new recruitment campaign for An Garda Síochána to ensure we have a steady pipeline of recruits entering Templemore over the coming years. I wish the new recruits every success in their careers.”

Budget 2023 reflects the commitment of Government to ensuring that our communities are safe and that An Garda Síochána has the resources required to operate effectively.

The budget provided by Government to the Garda Commissioner continues to increase to unprecedented levels, with an allocation of €2.14 billion for 2023.

In recent weeks, Minister Harris also announced an additional capital allocation of €21.5 million to support significant investment in a replacement helicopter and fixed wing plane for An Garda Síochána.

While recruitment was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, this group of new recruits is one in a steady stream of groups which will continue to join the ranks of An Garda Síochána regularly throughout this year and the years to come.

The first recruits from the 2022 recruitment campaign will begin their training in Templemore soon and a new recruitment campaign will launch in the coming months.

Of the 24 attesting today, 18 are men and 6 are women. 4 of the new recruits were born outside of the State.