Garda applicant who got laser eye surgery for role left waiting as new candidates admitted

James Cox

A Garda applicant who got laser eye surgery after completing the application process is still waiting as new candidates are admitted to the Garda College without completed vetting.

Several applicants from the 2022 and 2023 process who have completed the application process and been told their vetting is ongoing, while 2024 applicants are admitted to the Garda College, have been in touch.

One applicant, who got laser eye surgery after they were told it was necessary for admittance, told BreakingNews.ie: "I don’t understand why they are leaving people into the college that only applied seven months ago and many others are waiting in excessive of 21 months to two  years.

"I know some people who are waiting almost three years. In my opinion this is a tactic to try and look good and to make it look like they are getting numbers into the college. If that is the case then why couldn’t we have got this conditional offer.

"Their new priority is going to speed up the vetting process for the 2024 applicants while their in college and then forget about us in the 2022 snf 2023 competitions even further."

Emails sent to 2024 applicants [which can be seen in the picture] congratulated them on admittance to the Garda College in Templemore, while acknowledging their vetting was still ongoing.

The emails note "your application process is now in the final stages of Garda vetting, enabling us now to offer you a trainee position".

They add: "This vetting process will complete as soon as possible and may extend into the training period". It adds that the vetting process must be completed "by the end of the training period".

In September, a number of Garda College applicants who had been left waiting on vetting for over six months contacted  BreakingNews.ie. They said they were told "suitability checks outstanding" when they enquired about their progress, but were not given any specifics when they followed up.

BreakingNews.ie has contacted An Garda Síochána for comment.