The Garda Representative Association have welcomed today's Budget announcement for the recruitment of 1,000 members of An Garda Síochana.
They say there is clearly an urgent need for more members on the frontline due to issues with recruitment and the retention of gardaí.
However, in 2021 promises of 800 new recruits have yet to fully materialise with the number coming through training unlikely to be achieved this year.
Garda management are set to make the new 1,000 positions a priority for the safety and wellbeing of the public, but also to continue to address issues within the force to make such a career path a safer and more attractive one to potential recruits.
The GRA have been demanding an upgrade of essential equipment including garda vehicles and the introduction of both body-worn and dash-cam recording devices and we now demand that these are done as promised as a matter of extreme urgency.
They add that they hope the promised 1,000 new recruits will be in addition to the 800 promised last year to bring membership better in line with similar European jurisdictions.
