Investment in An Garda Síochána
Some €1.76 billion has been allocated to An Garda Síochána for 2019. This is an increase of approximately 2% over the allocation for 2017 and 6.5% compared to 2015.
Garda Workforce Information including Multi Year Trend Data
Click on the links below to find details on the different types of Gardaí employed in An Garda Síochána. Each link also includes the relevant multiyear trend data on the workforce. This information is based on data provided by the Garda Commissioner who has responsibility for the distribution of resources including personnel and is updated on a monthly basis.
Garda workforce 2018
At the end of 2018 the overall Garda workforce was 16,990 comprising 14,032 Garda members, 2,430 civilians and 528 Reserve members.
The Future of the Garda Workforce – an overall workforce of 21,000 by 2021
The Government has agreed an overall vision for a Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 to include 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Garda Reserve members and 4,000 civilians – more information on the Government’s Five Year Reform and high level workforce plan 2016-2021 can be accessed here.
The Future of the Garda Workforce – an overall workforce of 21,000 by 2021
The Government has agreed an overall vision for a Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 to include 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Garda Reserve members and 4,000 civilians – more information on the Government’s Five Year Reform and high level workforce plan 2016-2021 can be accessed here.
Highlights to date
- The plan to reach 15,000 Garda members is well on track with a continuous pipeline of candidates in place to ensure that the projected increases for 2019 and beyond can be achieved.
- Garda numbers, taking account of retirements, increased to over 14,000 by the end of 2018 for the first time since 2011
- Since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, just under 2,600 Garda trainees have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and had been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide
- Funding is in place to maintain this high level of investment in the Garda workforce to ensure that the vision of an overall workforce of 21,000 by 2021 remains on track;
- 600 more Garda trainees will enter the Garda College in 2019;
- 600 more Garda trainees are scheduled to complete phase 1 of their training in the Garda College and attest as Garda members in 2019 and be assigned to duties across the country. The first of these attestations took place on 8 March 2019, with over 200 trainees attesting.
- In addition, the Garda Commissioner will recruit a net 600 Garda staff in 2019, which will facilitate the redeployment of a further 500 Gardaí from administrative duties to visible frontline policing duties in 2019.
- Since the beginning of 2017, some 410 new civilian posts have been sanctioned to fill skills gaps and capacity gaps across the organisation including to support the delivery of the reform programme underway, to strengthen corporate support functions including HR, ICT, finance, legal, communications, facilities management and the Garda Analysis Service and the Garda Information Services Centre. In the past these posts would, by necessity, have been filled by Gardaí. This investment in civilian personnel will ensure that Gardaí are engaged in the job they are trained to do – policing. In addition further civilian staff have been sanctioned to make a start on the redeployment of Gardaí from administrative and technical posts to policing duties.
- The senior management of An Garda Síochána has been expanded to include senior civilians to bring diverse perspectives to the organisation. Senior civilians have been appointed to take charge of the strategy & transformation portfolio and the legal & compliance portfolio. An Garda Síochána is currently recruiting a Chief Data Officer. At the Assistant Commissioner and its civilian equivalent Executive Director level, the number of senior officers and civilians is 9 and 6 respectively with the appointment of the Chief Data Officer to bring the number of senior civilians to 7.
- A class of approximately 100 Garda Reserves commenced training at Garda College, Templemore in March 2019. An Garda Síochána is currently conducting a strategic review of the Garda Reserve to inform future decisions around the use of the Reserve. This approach is in line with the recommendation in the Report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. The Strategy is scheduled to be concluded during the second quarter of 2019 and will inform the development of a Reserve recruitment drive by the end of 2019.
This focus on investment in personnel is critical. The moratorium on recruitment introduced in 2010 resulted in a significant reduction in the strength of An Garda Síochána. We are now rebuilding the organisation and providing the Garda Commissioner with the resources needed to deploy increasing numbers of Gardaí across every division.
Gender breakdown – Garda members
As at 31 December 2018, 27% of Garda members were female and 73% male. This compares with 24% female and 76% male in 2010.
The Garda Fleet
The Government's Capital Plan 2016 – 2021 provides €46million for investment in the Garda Fleet to ensure that An Garda Síochána has a modern, effective and fit for purpose fleet and this is in addition to the investment of almost €30 million in the period 2013 to 2015.
In the period 2013 to end of 2017, some €44 million has been invested in the fleet with some 2,000 vehicles coming on stream in that period.
As of 31 March 2018, some 63% of the fleet is now less than 4 years old. This compares with the situation in 2012, for example, where in the region of 89% of the fleet was older than four years.
Garda ICT
Some €342 million, including €217 million in additional funding under the Capital Plan 2016 - 2021, is being invested in Garda ICT infrastructure between 2016 and 2021 to enable An Garda Síochána to deploy the latest cutting edge technologies in delivering professional policing and security services for the community.