Sinn Féin spokesperson on Justice, Pa Daly TD, has today commented on figures released to him by the government in relation to the Garda Reserve.

The figures show that just 140 Garda reserve members claimed their allowance in 2023.

Teachta Daly said:

“The fact the Garda reserve is well below 200 active members is a cause for concern. The government has said that it wants to bring this number up to 1,000 but has delayed in moving the necessary regulations to resume recruitment.

“Reserve members shouldn’t do full-time duties but could be used to police areas such as matches and concerts. This increased visibility can reduce the fear of crime in some areas as well as alleviating the pressure for full time members.

“Senior Gardaí tell me that a larger reserve would enable them to reallocate full-time members to more important duties, especially at times of large events, which can place pressure on policing services.

“We have been raising the matter of recruitment to the Reserve for over a year now, and these figures show the scale of the task ahead to rebuild the Reserve.

“Within the full-time ranks, there is little action in regards to retention and recruitment, and non-core duties still remain unaffected in many areas. There is also an issue within upper management, where posts are now going unfilled, despite forthcoming departures and retirements.

“Sinn Féin would set up a retention and recruitment taskforce and take action on non-core duties. The government needs to act now in order to prevent the continued hollowing out of the Gardaí, at all levels of seniority.”