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For Oral Answer on : 20/10/2022
Question Number(s): 54 Question Reference(s): 52356/22
Department: Justice
Asked by: David Stanton T.D.
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QUESTION
* To ask the Minister for Justice the current strength of the Garda Reserve; the gender breakdown of the Garda Reserve; the situation with regard to recruitment to the Garda Reserve; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
– David Stanton T.D.
For ORAL answer on Thursday, 20 October, 2022.
REPLY
While the Garda Commissioner is operationally responsible I can inform the Deputy that as of 31 August there are 389 Garda Reserves.
I can also inform the Deputy that a total of 72 Garda Reserves attested in 2021 and 1 in 2022.
For the Deputy’s information, detailed statistics on Garda workforce numbers are published on my Department’s website and can be accessed using the following link:
https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/bd777-an-garda-siochana-your-police-service-some-facts-and-figures/
The table below, furnished to me by the Garda authorities, outlines the current strength and the gender breakdown of the Garda reserves as of 31 August 2022.
| Total | Male | % | Female | % |
| 389 | 289 | 74 | 100 | 26 |
The Deputy may wish to know that, as part of the government’s plan to modernise and strengthen An Garda Síochána, A Policing Service for our Future, the Garda Commissioner has developed a Garda Reserve Strategy 2021-2025, which provides a roadmap for the development of this important service.
The Strategy, published in October 2021, is informed by an internal review of the Reserve, and sets out key commitments including recruitment, training and development, deployment, governance and evaluation. A priority of the Strategy is a new recruitment campaign which will be held next year, and on foot of which new Reserves will be appointed for five years initially.