Taoiseach confident Cork will receive higher allocation of Garda recruits in June

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said he is confident that Cork will receive a higher allocation of gardaí when the next round of recruits graduate from the Garda Training College in Templemore in June.

At the last graduation from Templemore, in March, only three “probationer” gardaí were assigned to the Cork City garda division, while three graduates were assigned to Mallow, in the Cork North division, and one to Bandon, in Cork West.

Asked if he was confident Cork city would receive a larger allocation in June, Mr Martin said: “I am, yeah.

“I’ve spoken to the minister for justice, and the good news is that the throughput is coming through Templemore now, that’s manifest in Dublin, a lot of public reps are saying ‘It’s very clear in Dublin now, we can see the fruits of it.

“I’ve spoken to the minister about the need to spread that out across the country to Cork and other places, and he’s very conscious of that,” he said.

“I think the key is that we keep the numbers high, applications are high at the moment in respect of Templemore and gardaí and we’ll see what more we can do to expand capacity.” 

The Taoiseach’s remarks come after The Echo reported that staff shortages mean that as many as 50 gardaí in Cork city are unable to advance to promotions they have earned, according to the Garda Representative Association (GRA).

Pádraig Harrington, the GRA delegate for the Cork city division, said the biggest policing issue in the city was a lack of resources.

“We have about 50 guards that have been successful in competitions and because of the lack of resources they can’t be put into the positions they have been successful in getting, because they would be leaving the frontline section so depleted, there’s no superintendent willing to release them,” he said.

A garda spokesperson said: “The allocation of personnel from competition panels, including to detective and roads policing, are considered on an ongoing basis in the context of the operational needs and resourcing requirements of each division and region.

“Placement on a competition panel is not a guarantee of appointment.”