Government Is Failing To Address Garda Recruitment And Retention Crisis Says Local TD

New figures show a steady drop in Garda Numbers in Wicklow which is unacceptable according to Sinn Féin.

Sinn Féin have criticised the government is failing to make any progress at tackling the recruitment and retention crisis in An Garda Síochána

New figures show that there has been no increase in Gardaí stationed in South Wicklow compared to 2024.

The figures were released to Sinn Féin in response to a Parliamentary Question.

Deputy Ó Fiontáin O Súilleabháin said the situation needs to remedied for the local communuty to feel safe:

“We have too few Gardaí to police our communities.  Too few Gardaí to prevent crime and to prevent young people becoming involved in crime.  Too few Gardaí in Community Policing and too few Gardaí in Roads Policing.

“These figures show that as of May this year, there were the same number of Gardaí stationed in South Wicklow division, Crime data has shown that Arklow Garda Station has reached a six-year peak in recorded offences last year. New crime data published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) reveals that the number of offences recorded by Arklow Garda Station last year increased to 596 (up 20 compared to 2019 figures), ranking the station among 136 nationwide where crime rates reached a six-year peak.

“There was a lot of fanfare from Minister O’Callaghan earlier in the year about the recruitment drive. But nothing has been achieved in terms of increasing the number of Gardaí available to police the streets of North Wexford.

“This is not good enough. It is putting our communities at risk, and the failure to recruit new officers will inevitably lead to more overworked and overstretched Gardaí leaving the force.

“Having been a member of the joint policing committee for Wicklow–Wexford for many years, I have met Mr. Harris before and am acutely aware of the crisis with recruitment and retention. I raised the issue again with Mr Harris back in June in the Justice, Home affairs and Migration committee.

“What the government is doing is not working. There are serious problems in terms of recruitment and retention which the Minister is simply not addressing. The number of recruits coming out of Templemore is not keeping up with the amount that are retiring, leaving or being redeployed.

Deputy Ó Súilleabháin also criticised the government’s failure to deliver on its own targets for Garda recruitment.

“Large numbers may be applying to join the Gardaí but no intake over the last two years has seen the training college operating at full capacity. The government is nowhere near reaching its target of training 1,000 Gardaí a year. 

“There needs to be a significant increase in the Garda training allowance, considering both the cost of living and the fact that those in the older age groups now being asked to join the Gardaí are more likely to have existing financial responsibilities that make this allowance unworkable.

 “To address the retention crisis there also needs to be a focus on addressing the current disincentives that exist in terms of retaining those Gardaí who have 30 or more years’ service of which there are now over 1,000.”