53 new gardaí attested

Mauritius, Iraq, Poland and the UK are among the birthplaces of the 53 new Garda members attested today at a passing-out parade at the garda training college in Templemore, Co Tipperary.

The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, who attended the passing-out ceremony, noted that 25% of those graduating were women and 15% had been born abroad.

"It is a pleasure to see such a strong, diverse and vibrant group of new Gardaí passing out today," she said before going on to state that An Garda Síochána is a cornerstone of Ireland's democracy.

"Day in day out, we trust its members to maintain the security of the State, to protect our people, and to ensure that we can go about our daily lives in a peaceful country," she said.

"In doing their work, Gardaí have the full support of the Government. The budget provided by this Government to the Garda Commissioner continues to increase to unprecedented levels, with an allocation of over €2 billion for 2022, which is enabling sustained, ongoing recruitment of Garda members and staff.

"In addition, my Department is working on legislative developments to assist and support An Garda Síochána as they look to the next 100 years of policing in Ireland.”

Approximately 370 new gardaí have been attested so far this year.

The new Garda members will now be assigned to Garda Divisions throughout the country.