Why are Unvetted Trainee Gardai on Being Allowed Patrol Our Streets?
- Minister must guarantee no one is Templemore Training College who shouldn’t be
Labour’s Justice Spokesperson Alan Kelly TD has slammed the Minister for Justice following revelations that trainee Gardaí are being deployed on patrol our streets and countryside without undergoing full vetting – a process that may never actually come through.
Deputy Kelly has been informed by Garda sources that full vetting “would no longer take place” for recruits as they enter the Garda Training College in Templemore. Can you imagine if TULSA, the HSE or the Adoption Authority of Ireland adopted this laissez faire attitude to full vetting? What would the Government say then? But it seems it’s ok that the Gardai, who actually contact vetting, can just skip this whole process to present recruit numbers that are higher than they actually are for political purposes.
Deputy Kelly said:
“This is absolutely staggering. The public will be shocked that trainee Gardaí – individuals who may never even become full members of the force – are being sent out on patrol without the necessary background checks. How can we expect to maintain the highest standards in An Garda Síochána if proper vetting is being abandoned?
“I have been told by Gardaí that full vetting ‘would no longer take place’ for new recruits entering Templemore. This raises fundamental questions about the Government’s commitment to upholding the integrity of the force. Gardaí themselves are deeply concerned, with alarm bells ringing across all ranks in the organisation.
“If Garda trainees are not being properly vetted, how can the Minister stand over this shocking lapse in standards?
“The political context here is clear: this Government has consistently failed to support An Garda Síochána. We have already seen a recruitment and retention crisis in the force. Now, in a desperate attempt to paper over the cracks, unvetted trainees are being sent out, putting both the public and the integrity of the Gardaí at risk. The staff working in Templemore deserve better too. This is an outrageous dereliction of duty.
“The Minister for Justice must urgently clarify this situation. He must go on the record and guarantee no one is in Templemore training college who shouldn’t be? We need an immediate guarantee that no trainee is being deployed on patrol without full vetting. The public deserves to know who is patrolling their streets, and Garda trainees deserve a recruitment process that protects both them and the communities they serve. If the Government cannot even guarantee that only properly vetted individuals are entering Templemore, then serious questions must be asked about their handling of Garda recruitment and training.”