An Garda Síochána: Motion Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-13 ============================================================ Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (FF), Labour Panel I would definitely fit in there. I welcome the decision to increase the maximum age at which one can join An Garda Síochána. As the Minister of State has just said, it is now 50. That is now very young whereas 35 would once have been ridiculous. A lot of people now go to college and do a master's degree or other things. They are nearly 30 by the time they get out into the real world so it is important that the age limit increased. I also welcome the decision to increase the penalty for attacks on members of An Garda Síochána and other front-line workers to up to 12 years' imprisonment. It is shocking that gardaí, who work so hard, and other front-line workers can face these attacks. I also welcome the introduction of body-worn cameras for members of the Garda and the Irish Prison Service. I hope that being on camera will act as a deterrent. It is great that Garda numbers are expected to reach 15,000 within the next year. This will be the highest number in the history of the State. It is great that work is ongoing to increase capacity at the Garda College to accommodate up to 250 trainees per intake. It is very important that there is a constant large turnover of gardaí coming out of Templemore. The increased numbers in the Garda Reserve is great. There is now a target to increase the number of reserve members to over 600 this year. I acknowledge the role members of the Garda Reserve play. It is great that high-visibility policing operations are now under way. The presence of gardaí on the streets is very important. I support my colleagues in calling for the forthcoming pay deal for public servants to reflect the invaluable role of An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces in Irish society. I also support the call for this House to condemn threats made against members of An Garda Síochána and the targeting of their families online. It is shocking when anybody's family is brought into anything and abused. I call for the development of new policies to penalise individuals who target members of An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces online or in person. The development of a clear pursuit driving policy for members of An Garda Síochána would be very welcome. I also support the call for gardaí to be provided with a separate driving licence classification for use while on duty and the establishment of a full-time public order unit within An Garda Síochána. I would like to go on record today as thanking members of An Garda Síochána for all they do. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-13/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:56+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-13