Exodus from force to hit new record as morale slumps

GARDAÍ are continuing to quit the force in large numbers and figures indicate the record resignations of 2023 will be surpassed this year.

In the first three weeks of January alone 17 officers tendered their resignations and notices to quit.

This follows a record high of 169 resignations last year, 50% higher than the 107 who resigned in 2022, and more than six times higher than the number in 2016.

The latest figures come as the Government and An Garda Síochána continue efforts to boost the number of serving gardaí.

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

Gardaí are now targeting older applicants to swell their ranks, and the latest recruitment drive launched last month increased the maximum age for applicants from 35 to 50.

A €400,000 advertising campaign for the recruitment competition is running across national and local media, online and social media – with efforts being made to target Irish people living in the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

But despite the resolution of the Garda roster row – which followed an unprecedented 99% vote of no confidence in Garda Commissioner Drew Harris among rank-and-file officers – the continuing exodus of serving officers indicates the force is still battling morale issues. In response to parliamentary queries from Labour TD Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, Justice Minister Helen McEntee recently confirmed that 169 gardaí resigned last year but she said 746 trainees who entered the Garda Training College in Templemore last year was the highest intake since 2018. She also said the rising number of trainees, ‘will help ensure a steady pipeline on recruits entering Templemore in the near future’. Informed sources this weekend said ‘no one in the job is surprised’ that resignations have continued in numbers previously unseen, and that morale continues to be a ‘huge issue’.

Research by the Garda Representative Association (GRA) last year found 99% of gardaí who resigned over the last two years said their mental health had suffered since joining. All former members interviewed, as part of the survey, reported a ‘serious issue with morale’.

Almost three quarters of those who resigned cited unfair treatment and bullying as a reason for leaving, while 70% reported a fear of discipline affecting their decision-making.

Former members said they were ‘terrified’ of the Garda Ombudsman, suffered ‘constant fear and anxiety’ and received ‘no support from Garda management’.

Forty out of around 200 gardaí who resigned from July 2021 to June 2023 took part in the research, which was conducted by the GRA to understand why so many officers were quitting the force.

Complaints made by former gardaí included ‘horrendous working conditions’, ‘outdated systems’ and ‘rodent infested stations’. An overwhelming 85% of exiting officers claimed they did not have the resources or working conditions to do their jobs effectively.

A third reported a ‘toxic’ work environment, saying ‘more people’ were needed, while a quarter said a ‘better’ training is needed to improve officers’ ability to work effectively.

Half of gardaí who left told the GRA they did not feel they had the necessary training to be effective in their role.

Exiting gardaí also complained about feeling ‘burnt out, stressed, victimised and unsupported in their roles’.

Many said they felt ‘weighed down by heavy and bureaucratic systems’. All of those surveyed said their personal life and mental health improved after leaving the force.

The interviews were conducted by the assistant to the General Secretary of the GRA, Tara McManus, who said the personal accounts ‘provided invaluable insights into the reality of policing, particularly for our younger members who statistically, are more likely to resign’.

She added: ‘They have described a worrying work culture where bullying, mental stress and burnout, and a sense of vulnerability are rife.

‘They have described feeling undervalued and overworked, and overwhelmingly, describe morale as being at an all-time low within the Garda organisation.’