A NEW Garda recruitment competition is to be announced shortly, but applicants are likely to face a tougher entrance exam before they can achieve a place at the Garda College in Templemore.
Up to 1,000 places are to be offered in the new competition, the first since 1994, when 15,000 people applied for 1,000 places.
Applicants who pass the aptitude test and an interview are placed on a panel from which recruits are drawn in the following years. The last of the 1994 panel starts training this year.
Last week, the Department of Justice revised the educational requirements needed for sitting the aptitude test. Previously the minimum standard was five ordinary level passes in the Leaving Certificate. A mix of grades at various Leaving Cert levels or a merit grade in the new Applied Leaving Certificate are now acceptable.
The Minister's changes will increase the numbers eligible to apply for the force, but the aptitude test they face for Templemore may prove more difficult. The current test assesses literacy and numeracy but gives few clues to the personality of the applicant.
"It wouldn't tell if you had any cop on," one garda said.
Garda management is considering a more sophisticated test perhaps with a problem solving element requiring applicants to propose how they would act in a given situation.