Government must act now to put more Gardaí in our communities

Alan Kelly

24 March 2026

Government must act now to put more Gardaí in our communities - The Labour Party

• Labour Dáil motion demands funded plan and urgent reforms in An Garda Siochána

Labour’s justice spokesperson Alan Kelly TD will be proposing Labour’s motion in the Dáil tomorrow to force action on falling Garda numbers, declining community policing and worsening conditions within An Garda Síochána, calling on Government to urgently deliver a funded plan to recruit and retain Gardaí, restore visible policing and roll out Domestic Abuse Coordination Teams in every region.

Deputy Kelly said:

“People can see the reality on the ground. Garda visibility has dropped and response times are under pressure. This is not acceptable. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have failed to properly resource An Garda Síochána and the impact is being felt all over the country. We now have fewer Gardaí per person than we did just a few years ago, despite a growing population and increasing demands on policing. That means fewer Gardaí covering more communities, less visibility on our streets and more pressure on an already stretched force.

“Labour is bringing this motion to the Dáil because people deserve better. Community Gardaí play a vital role in building trust, preventing crime and supporting vulnerable people, yet their numbers are falling. That weakens the connection between Gardaí and the communities they serve. People want to see Gardaí on the streets, in schools and embedded in their communities, not tied up in administrative backlogs or pulled away due to shortages.

“Morale within the force is also a serious concern. Gardaí who serve our communities deserve proper support, fair conditions and respect. Instead, many feel undervalued and overworked. That has real consequences for recruitment and retention. If we cannot attract and keep Gardaí, communities will continue to lose out. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael promised thousands of new recruits but have failed to deliver. Training numbers remain far too low, and there is no credible plan to meet demand.

“There are also serious concerns about how internal investigations have been handled and the impact this has had on Garda members. Look at what has transpired in Limerick with the loss of prosecutions of Gardai and their disgraceful treatment. How was this allowed to happen? That must be addressed through a full and transparent inquiry. Gardaí deserve fairness and due process, and the public deserves confidence in how the force operates. At the same time, outdated vehicles and inadequate equipment continue to undermine frontline policing, with too many Gardaí expected to do more with less.

“People deserve a modern, properly resourced police service that is rooted in the community and capable of keeping people safe. That means investing in recruitment, improving conditions, restoring community policing and ensuring Gardaí have the tools they need to do their job effectively.

“I am calling on Government to support Labour’s motion and urgently deliver a funded plan to recruit and retain Gardaí, restore community policing and ensure every community has the visible, effective policing it deserves, alongside the rollout of Domestic Abuse Coordination Teams in every region so that victims receive the protection and support they need.”

ENDS

The full motion reads:

That Dáil Éireann –

Notes that:

• there are still fewer serving members of An Garda Síochána in 2026 compared to six years ago with 14,187 available members at the end of January 2026, in contrast to 14,235 members in 2020;
• accounting for population growth, this fall in numbers means there are now 10% fewer Gardaí per capita than there were five years ago;
• the Programme for Government committed to recruiting at least 5,000 new Garda recruits and additional Garda Staff by 2030;
• trainee intakes remain far too low to achieve adequate policing levels, with just 619 Gardaí attesting from Templemore in 2025;
• during 2025, 29% of Garda Divisions and 46% of Garda Districts either lost Garda members or saw no change in numbers;
• the numbers of Gardaí unavailable due to suspension has rapidly increased in recent years, with 107 Gardaí suspended at the end of 2025, versus just 39 in December 2018;
• over 2025, the number of Community Gardaí fell from 700 to 615;
• there were just 308 Garda Reserve members as of 31 January 2026, down from 1,164 in 2013;

Recognises that:

• Over a year since the formation of the new government no new plan has been put in place to increase Garda recruitment and expand the size of the force in line with public commitments;
• morale within the force was severely damaged under the tenure of the previous Garda Commissioner with the high-profile mistreatment of serving members, and a steady trend of Gardaí leaving the force or retiring early;
• serious questions remain about the conduct of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and senior Garda leadership towards serving members in the Limerick region and in the Garda Bike loan case;
• further serious questions remain unanswered about the procurement and use of inappropriate gun holsters, and the storage of firearms, live scan fingerprints, drugs and cash at Garda Headquarters;
• the government failed to declare over seven years that the previous Garda Commissioner was provided with rent free accommodation through the OPW that underwent €400,000 worth of renovations before being made available in 2018;

Further notes that:

• Garda Commissioner Drew Harris appeared before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications in May 2024, and stated that an additional 150 Gardaí would be allocated to Roads Policing over 2024 and 2025;
• On December 31 2023 there were 632 Gardaí allocated to Roads Policing, while on December 31 2025 there were 647 Gardaí allocated to Roads Policing, an increase of just 15 members, or 10% of the Commissioner’s stated aim;
• 40% of the Garda vehicles fleet is over 6 years old;
• significant concerns have been raised regarding the impact of the new Garda Operating Model implemented from 2019 onwards, which breaks the link between Gardaí and local communities, in particular in rural areas;
• in response to an AGSI survey in 2025, 90% of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors indicated that high visibility policing has not increased since the introduction of the model, and that the operating model is “unsuitable for rural policing”, while 98% of respondents called for an urgent review of the operating model;
• the Policing and Community Safety Authority assessment of An Garda Síochána’s policing performance throughout the first half of 2025 found that 11 of 18 performance indicators were “at risk”;

Acknowledges:

• the crucial role played by An Garda Síochána in protecting and serving communities across Ireland;
• the critical importance of a locally embedded, well-resourced, modern police service in enabling communities to flourish;
• the crisis of low morale that has been allowed to develop among rank-and-file Gardaí under successive governments due to consistent under-resourcing and a failing operational policing model, and the impact that crisis has on the ability of An Garda Síochána to perform its critical functions;
• that selective internal investigations within An Garda Siochána have been weaponised against members of the force who raise legitimate concerns, submit protected disclosures or act as whistleblowers;

Calls on the government to:

• initiate a public inquiry into the conduct of internal Garda investigations during the tenure of former Commissioner Drew Harris and subsequently; and in order to address recruitment shortfalls, improve morale, and strengthen policing in Ireland further calls on the government to:

• urgently publish a funded plan to ensure at least 1,000 new Gardaí are trained every year;
• review the current Operational Policing Model, and where it is not consistent with effective rural and community policing, to halt its implementation;
• enhance the community policing model to standardise rostering in line with other Gardaí, introduce appropriate promotional opportunities, and increase the use of pedal cycles in urban community policing;
• increase the Garda training allowance to the equivalent of a starting salary and review pay and pension issues for serving staff;
• provide each Garda District and the communities living there with a clear timeline of when increased numbers of Gardaí will be deployed to address safety concerns and anti-social behaviour, and roll out Domestic Abuse Coordination Teams across every region;
• commit to a measurable plan to increase roads policing and invest in the vehicle fleet and garda equipment;
• invest in expanding Templemore Training College and the Garda lands and facilities at Dromard, Clonmore to ensure at least 1,000 new recruits are trained a year;
• introduce an occupational supplementary pension to the Single Public Service Pension Scheme as a key retention measure for uniformed service personnel.