THE GOVERNMENT HAS fallen short of its own garda recruitment targets for the second year in a row.

It is estimated that this year, fewer than 800 gardaí will graduate from Templemore College and enter the policing force.

The government has set targets of 1,000 gardaí attesting each year, although constraints around capacity at the garda training college have been pointed to as a factor in not achieving this level.

In response to a parliamentary question by Sinn Féin’s spokesperson for community safety Mark Ward, Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said he has been advised by garda authorities that around 770 to 780 trainee gardaí will attest this year.

A total of 566 have already graduated from training.

Ward said that there is a need for further recruitment drives to increase the number of gardaí entering Templemore College.

“This is the second year that the government fell short,” he said. “If this continues, we will be short by 1,500 new recruits by the end of this government term.”

The Dublin Mid-West TD said it is “not credible” for O’Callaghan to say over 5,000 trainee gardaí will be recruited over the lifetime of the government.

On average, between 350 and 500 gardaí will retire or resign from their posts each year. Ward said that due to these members leaving the force, the number of gardaí working in Ireland has increased only by 364 members since the end of 2024.

In response to Ward’s parliamentary question, O’Callaghan said three garda recruitment campaigns over the past 18 months have seen over 15,000 people apply to join An Garda Síochána.

Ward countered this, saying the government needs to “increase” its effort to recruit. “Our communities are being failed, and this is simply not good enough,” he stated.

“We can see the impacts this is having on communities, where we simply do not have enough gardaí visibly present.

“The EU Presidency is adding to this where large numbers of gardaí are being pulled out of local areas, leaving our communities vulnerable to criminality and anti-social behaviour.”