AS many as 67 trainee gardai have been dismissed or threatened with dismissal in recent years for what many in the force regard as relatively minor infringements of discipline.
Trainee gardai may not be members of a students' union or staff association for up to three years after recruitment. Most dismissals affect recruits in this period of their careers.
On Thursday the Supreme Court ruled that a trainee garda, dismissed for boisterous behaviour while doing an impersonation of the singer Tom Jones at a social function, can remain in the Garda. That case is said by gardai to be typical of the offence for which recruits face dismissal.
Garda representatives want a change in the regulations to allow trainee gardai to be represented by either students' unions or their staff association. The dismissals are causing concern and annoyance and further legal challenges are being considered.
Gardai say probationers are often thrust into highly pressurised, even dangerous, work and inexperience can lead to misdemeanours when off duty.
Some gardai were angry at the case brought against the probationer which was resolved in his favour at the Supreme Court on Thursday.
The number of disciplinary actions threatening dismissal is said to have risen dramatically in the two years since new probation conditions were introduced for recruits.
Recruits undergo two years training at the Garda College in Templemore, Co Tipperary and a further two years probationary period on the beat. Almost all careers terminated in recent years were in the probationary period. The dismissals were criticised by associations representing officers of garda rank.
The Garda Federation, in Dublin, where many young gardai are stationed, described some of the disciplinary complaints as "frivolous" and the action against the young officers as "unfair and unjust".
In many cases, they did not consider there was need for dismissal. The Garda Representative Association general secretary, Mr John Ferry, called for the Government to ensure that trainee gardai were given the right of representation.
Trainee gardai felt "vulnerable and isolated not only from the Force but from society at large," he said.
The GRA wad seeking the right to represent recruits denied representation by a staff association for the first 62 weeks of their service on the beat. "We are hopeful that common sense will prevail," he said.