THE NUMBER OF garda inspectors is to increase from 380 to 500.

The move was announced by Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, who confirmed last night that the maximum permissible number of garda inspectors would increase by 120.

It follows a recommendation by the Commission on the Future of Policing, which said that more garda inspectors should be appointed to support changes to policing.

The move was welcomed by the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, whose general secretary Antoinette Cunningham described the move as “timely and much-needed”.

“The operating policing model marks a significant sea-change in the delivery of policing in Ireland,” she said in a statement.

“In order to meet the requirements of this reform plan, the workload at Inspector level will increase significantly as a suite of tasks will now be delegated to this rank.”

Garda Deputy Commissioner John Twomey also welcomed the Government’s announcement.

In a statement, Twomey said the move would provide gardaí with additional capacity to focus on working with local communities, protecting vulnerable people and supporting the continued roll-out of the Garda Operating Model.