Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The aim is to recruit 1,000 new gardaí this year. The exact net increase depends on a number of variables, such as how many people retire or resign from the Garda this year. The high-level target I have set is that by the end of this year, it will be the first year since the Covid pandemic that Garda numbers are back growing. This should be the first year that recruitment begins to outpace the number leaving An Garda Síochána. If the Deputy asked me to make my best guesstimate as to how we get to the 15,000, I would say a very decent recruitment campaign this year, followed by a decent recruitment campaign next year could get us there by the end of 2024. There are variables in that but if we were to recruit 1,000 gardaí this year, 1,000 next year and allow for the attrition retirements and resignations, it is in that ballpark.

The Deputy is right about the importance of retention. I accept that gardaí do an extremely hard job. I engage with and have respect for the Garda representative bodies. I take seriously what they say and we should always listen to them. I also have to take seriously the Garda Síochána cultural audit last year which found that job satisfaction was high among Garda personnel. That is part of the conversation that sometimes we do not get to hear. That independent survey showed that gardaí were proud to serve the communities, were motivated and wanted work to protect people from harm.

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