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The Garda Reserve

Why do I need to know about the Garda Reserve?

Rank-and-file gardaí this week voted unanimously for the abolition of the reserve force. They’re worried that an unpaid volunteer police force is being expanded at a time when the numbers of full-time gardaí are being cut. As reservists are not paid, their recruitment is not covered by the public-service embargo.

What’s a Garda reservist?

The first intake of Garda reserves began training at Templemore in September 2006, and the first reservists went on patrol in Dublin that November. About 850 reservists are working part-time alongside gardaí. Their principal role is to take part in patrols and crime-reduction initiatives in their areas. They also provide operational support – anything from station duties to policing major events. Reservists are not trained to the same level as full gardaí (training is at weekends and in the evenings) and almost always have other jobs. They can be butchers, bakers, engineers an so on, but lawyers, court officials, taxi drivers, publicans or holders of other statutory licences are barred because of potential conflicts of interest.

How can I tell if I’m talking to a reservist rather than a full garda?

You’d find it hard to spot the difference, but a reservist wears the letters GR beside the official Garda number on his or her shoulder.

Why do full-time gardaí want the reserve force abolished?

Members of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) claim that sending reserve officers out with “inferior training” undermines their own training, and can compromise garda safety in difficult situations. They also say some €4 million spent on training reservists could have been used to train 100 full-time gardaí. Full-time members have a sworn duty to place themselves between danger and the public. With lives at risk, they say they don’t want to have to babysit or mollycoddle the reservists standing beside them.

Will the abolition of the reserve force ever happen?

Very unlikely. The reserve force is supported by the Minister for Justice Alan Shatter and by the Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan. Shatter said he was “disappointed” with the attitude of the full-time gardaí, describing the reserve force as volunteerism at its finest.

Can we afford more fully qualified members?

The Government says no. There are plans to reduce numbers of the Garda force to about 13,000 from a recent high of about 15,000. The current level is about 14,400. In his address to the GRA conference in Westport, Co Mayo, last Wednesday, Shatter acknowledged money was an issue. But, he said, what had “a profound impact on public safety” was “not a matter of numbers”. Rather, he said, it was a matter of investigative skill, reliable intelligence, technical support and “smart policing”.