The Garda Reserve is on course to achieve its target strength next year, some 10 years after the part-time unpaid element of the force was established.
It was intended that the reserve would reach 10 per cent of the full-time Garda number. But nine years after the first intake, that figure is yet to be reached.
The latest class of reservists graduated at the Garda College, Templemore, Co Tipperary, yesterday when 62 men and women from home and abroad were officially welcomed into the reserve after completing their training.
In total, 62 reservists passed out: 41 men and 21 women. While most were from the Republic, there were also reservists from France, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania.
Target in sight
The passing out brought to 1,173 the full strength of the reserve, with 1,091 fully attested and 82 in training.
If current intake trends continue, the number of reservists will reach some 1,250 next year, or 10 per cent of the full-time force.
The reserve was introduced under the Garda Síochána Act 2005, with the first intake of reservists inducted the following year.
Some organisations that represent full-time Garda members were dissatisfied with what they considered efforts by then minister for justice Michael McDowell to introduce free policing.
Yesterday’s ceremony was the first passing-out event at Templemore over which Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan has presided since her appointment this week.
However while the ceremony is usually open to journalists, who are afforded an interview opportunity with the commissioner and minister for justice of the day, only photographers were invited to yesterday’s passing out.
Media absence
Senior sources said the commissioner had already taken questions from the media at several events since her appointment on Tuesday. And they added that there was “little point” in another media event just days into her term.
The same sources said the commissioner remained committed to creating a more open and transparent force and the exclusion of journalists “should not be misinterpreted in any way”.
In September, Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald and then interim commissioner O'Sullivan faced a barrage of questions at a passing-out in Templemore relating to allegations that gardaí continued to cancel penalty points without reason.
Senior sources at the time believed the allegations had been leaked just before the event in an effort to put Ms O’Sullivan at a disadvantage.
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/irishtimes/564969e4-d81d-474d-b348-d41dfe1aeced.png)