A third of applicants for gardaí are aged over 35

Major boost in recruitment drive as officer age limit is raised to 50

MORE than a third of the latest Garda recruitment applications were from people aged between 35 and 49, gardaí have confirmed.

Approximately 6,380 people applied to be a garda under the latest drive to boost numbers in the force.

This is the third year in a row in which a recruitment drive has been carried out as the Government pushes to increase numbers in An Garda Síochána.

It has been ten months since the last Garda recruitment campaign, which attracted approximately 5,000 applications.

The latest drive was the first following the Government’s decision to increase the entry age limit to apply to become a Garda trainee from 35 years to 50.

Almost 37% of applicants for the latest competition were people aged between 35 and 49.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris previously said the entry age limit increase to 50 provided the opportunity to people who thought their chance had passed or who were considering a change of career to join the force.

The Government has been making efforts to increase the number of gardaí in recent years.

Ads in newspapers, on television and on social media have taken place to push recruitment – with efforts being made to target Irish people living in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

At the end of 2023 there were 13,998 gardaí in the service – more than 1,000 below the Government’s target of 15,000.

The latest Garda recruitment drive, which is being operated by the Public Appointments Service, closed on February 8. A Garda spokesman said: ‘This level of applications coming less than a year since the last competition, coupled with the fact that more than 2,000 applicants were aged over 35, confirms that interest in becoming a garda is still high and it’s a job worth doing.’

Applicants will now enter into a competitive selection process involving a number of stages including online aptitude tests, competency-based interview and fitness test.

The intention is to run these recruitment campaigns on an annual basis to ensure a steady stream of trainees entering the Garda College.

Justice Minister Helen McEntee welcomed the increased number of applications.

Ms McEntee said: ‘The response to the latest Garda recruitment campaign has been very strong. I am delighted to see over 6,300 apply to become gardaí – this is a significant increase on the 5,000 people who applied last year. I am glad to see that so many people want to join An Garda Síochána and I am particularly pleased at the strong response from people aged between 35 and 50. Well over a third of the applications were in that age group.

‘I have always said that nothing is off the table when it comes to recruitment. We have increased the training allowance and increased the age of entry from 35 to 50. I am determined that An Garda Síochána grows to 15,000 members and beyond.’

She added: ‘To all those who have applied, good luck with the interviews and assessments, and all the very best on your path to a job well worth doing.’

Interest in the job ‘is still high’