Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Government is very conscious of the need to expand the numbers in An Garda Síochána. We have provided funding for 1,000 new gardaí this year and we are seeing more Garda recruits enter Templemore every 11 weeks. The Garda Commissioner, obviously, is responsible for the deployment of gardaí operationally and the Minister for Justice engages regularly with him to monitor resources in any given area and to deliver on the target. The total number who completed or began training last year was almost 500, and a further recruitment campaign, which will be launched, will ensure a pipeline of suitable candidates. Over 14,000 sworn members are currently working in the Garda organisation. Obviously, there were issues during Covid with training and so on, but the recruitment campaign is ongoing and the funding is there in respect of recruiting a substantially higher number of gardaí.

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