Gardaí seeking to recruit 300 Reserves

 

Ever thought of joining the Garda Reserves?  A three week recruitment drive has begun today and 300 Reserves are being sought.

Garda Reservists are voluntary members of the police service.

Those who are eligible to apply just need to be aged between 18 and 60 and people of various nationalities, skill sets, ages and backgrounds are being sought as the Government aims to follow through on its commitment to increase the strength of the Garda Reserve to 2,000 by 2021.

New figures show that the Reserve programme is being used by many as a stepping stone to a full-time career in the Gardaí. Since 2006, more than 200 Garda Reservists have gone on to pursue full-time careers in the organisation, including 110 since last year alone.

Tasks involve dealing with public order incidents, high-visibility patrolling, traffic management, attending major events, carrying out administrative duties, and providing general support to full-time Garda members.

The current strength of the Garda Reserve is 663 of whom 182 are women and 481 men.

The average age of a female Reserve is 36, compared to 40 for male Reserves.

Twenty different nationalities are represented including people who are Iranian, Polish, Nigerian, Italian, Lithuanian, Albanian, Indian and Chinese.

Backgrounds vary from fitness instructors to firemen to bank clerks.

"While some people view the Garda Reserve as a career stepping stone, the vast majority of those who join up do so because they simply want to volunteer,” said Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan.

“They may be at a stage of their lives where want to give something back to their communities and the Garda Reserve is a natural place to reach that goal because of the community-focused nature of our work.”

Anyone interested in applying to the Garda Reserves should visit publicjobs.ie. The closing date is April 13th 2017.