It added Garda numbers were still 10 per cent higher now than in 2015, with the number of civilians in the Garda force now 66 per cent higher than seven years ago. The Department of Justice said funding was in place for “up to 1,000″ new Garda recruits to be hired this year. A new recruitment process would be launched before the end of March. It added 370 new gardaí were still attested last year while 200 recruits would enter the college every 11 to 12 weeks this year. Garda Headquarters said Garda numbers were at record levels when the pandemic began and recruitment was curtailed as the Garda College, Templemore, Co Tipperary, was forced to close for a period.
