Arabs, Romas and Travellers apply to join Gardai in 2024, announces Justice Minister Helen McEntee

Some of the ethnicities to have applied to join the Gardai this year include 'Arab', ‘White Irish Traveller’ and ‘White Roma’.

That is according to new figures provided by the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee who outlined that 12 different listed ethnicities have applied to join the Gardai this year.

In a written Dail reply to Catherine Murphy (Social Democrat), Minister McEntee said that other ethnicities included Asian or Asian Irish (Chinese), Asian or Asian Irish (Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi), Black or Black Irish/African and White Irish.

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Minister McEntee stated that a number of applicants prefer not to say what their ethnicities are when submitting applications.

Minister McEntee stated that 718 candidates are still active in An Garda Síochána job application process from the 2022 and 2023 competitions.

The Minister stated that the Public Appointments Service (PAS) on behalf of the Garda Commissioner, manages the initial recruitment stages for selection of Garda trainees.

The final stages of the recruitment process in which candidates are vetted, and complete a physical competency test and a medical examination, are managed by An Garda Síochána.

Online testing for the 2024 competition took place in March of this year and interviews began earlier this month.

Minister McEntee stated that it is envisaged that the first list of applicants from the PAS managed stages of the process will proceed to the next stage of the process, managed by An Garda Síochána, by the end of April.

Minister McEntee stated that 746 trainee Gardaí entered Templemore in 2023, the highest number to enter Templemore since 2018.

Minister McEntee also stated that 388 new Gardaí attested in 2023 and were allocated to Garda stations nationwide.

She said: “There are currently around 14,000 Garda members across the country and it is anticipated that the number of Garda members will begin to grow steadily throughout 2024.”

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