An Garda Síochána
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-14
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Jim O'Callaghan (FF), Dublin Bay South

We are committed to following what is set out in the task force report. I cannot give a date as to when there will be 1,000 extra gardaí in the city. What I can give is assurance from being around the city centre that we now have high-visibility policing in Dublin city centre. That has had a transformative effect. We are getting gardaí out on the streets patrolling who were previously in stations. It is providing a great sense of confidence and safety to people who come into Dublin. My view is that it has had a significant impact, and I commend the Commissioner in that respect.
Obviously, in order to keep that going and ensure that other aspects of Garda services are continued we need to get more recruits in. It is about getting the numbers up but it is a positive outlook at present. Not only is recruitment going well and we have had a new recruitment campaign but retention within An Garda Síochána is high. Less than 1% resign from An Garda Síochána annually, which is extremely low.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:56+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-14