Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan has said “we can’t have relentless negativity” about a career as a garda.
The new minister is attempting to boost flagging garda recruitment drives over previous years and mend rifts between gardaí and their outgoing Commissioner, Drew Harris.
Mr O’Callaghan said he disagreed with criticism from a group representing senior gardai of Commissioner Harris and that it was “unfair” to place all criticisms on Mr Harris for issues within the force.
He was speaking as the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) held their annual conference this week.
“My membership is the people of Ireland. I will listen to what Garda Inspectors and Garda Sergeants have to say. And for most of what they say the interests of the people of Ireland and them will align,” Mr O’Callaghan told RTE Radio.
“But ultimately, I have to be guided solely by what is in the best interest of the people of Ireland when it comes to policing in this country.”
There is discontent among Garda members on a series of issues, including a long-running wrangle on proposed changes to working rosters and internal disciplinary and suspension processes.
In September 2023, more than 98 per cent of members of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) voted no confidence in Garda Commissioner Harris.
Mr O’Callaghan said he had met with the GRA, which is to not invite the Garda Commissioner to their annual conference again.
“I’ve met the GRA, I want to engage with the GRA, I received an invitation to their conference. I asked them to invite the Commissioner. I asked them to let bygones be bygones, it’s his last term, he’s going on 1 September, they didn’t.”
He said he was advised it would be “disrespectful to the office of the Commissioner” to go along with a process that “completely ignored” him.
He said that despite issues, Mr Harris was Commissioner during “difficult times” and had provided leadership.
“In fairness to Commissioner Harris, he has turned that reputation of An Garda Síochána around,” he said.
“But listen, this isn’t a dictatorship, the AGSI are perfectly entitled to criticise the Commissioner or indeed me if they have done.”
He said he was not defeatist about recruitment targets and said that recent recruitment drives got expressions of interest from 6,700 people.
He said there were over 200 in the latest commencement in Templemore for the first time since 2019.
The programme for government sets out a target to fund the recruitment of at least 5,000 new gardaí and additional Garda staff over the next five years.
Since September 2014, just 4,716 Garda members have attested and been deployed to Garda stations around Ireland as recruitment remains a challenge.
Mr O’Callaghan said he would name a new Garda Commissioner in July.
