A Sinn Féin TD has argued that new figures revealing the drop in garda training numbers will have a ‘major’ impact on County Meath.
Sinn Féin TD for Meath East, Darren O’Rourke, has said that figures which reveal that Garda training numbers will fall far short of the 1,000 annual target show that Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan is ‘failing to address the garda recruitment and retention crisis’.
The Deputy has argued that this will have a major impact on Co. Meath, as the county remains fixed at the bottom of the Garda numbers table for recruitment.
New figures provided to Mark Ward TD suggest that there will be between 770 and 780 Garda trainees starting training this year, and reports pointing to a Garda overtime bill of €200,000 for 2026.
“It is now clear that Minister O’Callaghan has no strategy to address the Garda recruitment and retention crisis,” Deputy O’Rourke told the Irish Independent in a statement.
“This will undoubtedly have a major impact in Co. Meath as we remain fixed at the bottom of the Garda numbers table. We have the lowest number of Gardaí per population in the state and with no end in sight to the recruitment and retention crisis, that is sure to continue,” he said.
The Deputy argued that this issue exists while gardaí are under ‘increasing pressure’ to tackle crime in the community and on roads, in addition to the pressures of policing Ireland’s presidency of the EU Council and the upcoming visit by US President Donald Trump.
“New figures showing a lack of progress on garda training numbers are deeply worrying, especially in Co. Meath,” Deputy O’Rourke said.
“Despite an annual target of 1,000, fewer than 800 new Gardai will be trained this year. On top of this Garda Overtime costs will likely surpass €200,000 in order to compensate for the failures of government,” he said.
“Ultimately, there has been a clear lack of progress made in increasing Garda visibility in communities struggling with crime and anti-social behaviour. We see the consequences of this every day in Co. Meath.”
The Sinn Féin Deputy argued that Minister for Justice Jim O’Caollaghan has failed to take ‘meaningful’ action to increase garda numbers.
“Despite repeated commitments on recruitment, Garda numbers increased by just 364 members, from 14,191 at the end of 2024 to 14,555 by the end of June 2026. There has been a lot of publicity surrounding recruitment campaigns but no policy changes to ensure that the 1,000 annual target is actually met,” he said.
“There is something seriously wrong when, despite thousands applying annually, the annual target of 1,000 cannot be met. In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis it is clear that the low level of the training allowance is a barrier, particularly for those who may wish to change careers and join An Garda Síochána.
“It is now clear that the Programme for Government commitment to recruit 5,000 Garda recruits during the lifetime of this Government will not be achieved,” he said.
“Instead, there will be an increased dependence and resulted cost from Garda overtime.
“Sinn Féin has put forward a range of proposals to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis, including increasing the Garda training allowance, improving pay progression and introducing incentives to retain experienced Gardaí.
“If the Minister is serious about ensuring sufficient Gardaí to keep communities safe, tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, and improve road safety, he should take these proposals on board and act on them,” the Deputy finished.