Garda early retirements set to soar

THE NUMBER of gardaí taking early retirement has significantly accelerated and looks set to almost treble in coming weeks.

If trends continue more than 800 members will retire early this year, compared with less than 300 last year.

It will send the overall strength of the Garda plummeting because recruitment is frozen as part of the Government’s efforts to reduce public sector expenditure.

Many members are deciding to leave early over dissatisfaction with levies being imposed on their salaries.

They also fear the lump sums they receive on retirement will soon be taxed.

On retirement all members are entitled to a pension equal to half their salaries, which is not subject to levies. They also receive a one-off payment one and a half times their finishing salary, which is not taxed. Some 192 members have retired early or are due to retire early in the three months ended June 30th. That compares with just 77 members taking early retirement in the same period last year, a jump of 250 per cent.

However, many gardaí only give four weeks’ notice when they intend to retire early. That means the early retirement figure in June, currently at 63, will rise.

Preliminary figures in the early part of this year suggested early retirements were increasing. However, new statistics from the Department of Justice show the situation has worsened considerably.

In April 2008, 25 members took early retirement. That figure increased to 72 this April. Early retirements in May are up to 75, from just 18 in May 2008. Some 63 members have already signalled their intention to retire in June, compared with 34 last year.

A number of senior gardaí, including detective superintendents, are retiring from areas in Dublin that have particularly bad problems with gangland crime.

It is feared that because of the moratorium on recruitment and promotions many key positions left vacant will not be filled.

Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy is in talks with Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern to reach agreement on allowing some promotions despite the public sector promotions ban.

The Garda Representative Association (GRA), which represents almost 12,000 members, and the Association of Garda Superintendents have expressed concern over a “brain drain”. The GRA said 43 per cent of the force has five years’ service or less. Of the force’s 181 superintendents, 101 have 30 years’ service and are eligible to retire early immediately.