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Organisation


An Garda Siochana


Go... Organisation Profile
Go... Employment information
Go... Career opportunities
Go... Recruitment procedures

   
Contact details:
Contact Name:
Sergeant In Charge
Address:
Appointments & Admissions Office
Human Resource Management
Garda Headquarters
Phoenix Park, Dublin 8
Email:
appointments@garda.ie
Web:
www.garda.ie
Phone:
+353 1 6662362

 
Employment Profile...
Go... What are the main occupation types employed?
Go... What types of work contract are offered?
Go... What are the key attractions?
Go... What locations do you operate from?
Go... What are the current employment trends?
Go... Describe any particular characteristics of your workforce? 

 

What are the main occupation types employed?
Gardaí throughout the Service are supported in their duties by a number of specialist units. These include:
  • Air Support Unit
  • Mounted Unit
  • Water Unit
  • Fingerprint Unit
  • Photographic Unit
  • Mapping Unit
  • Ballistics Unit
  • Technical Support Services
  • The National Bureau of Fraud Investigation
  • Criminal Assets Bureau
  • Garda National Drugs Unit
  • Garda National Immigration Bureau


Also, units to deal with armed terrorists and criminal gangs.

Membership of these units is open to all members of the Garda Service on completion of three years in mainstream operational police duties.


What types of work contract are offered?
  • Full time Garda recruits
  • Part time (voluntary) Garda Reserve
For more detailed information on the Garda Reserve, please view their full profile here.

What are the key attractions?
The Garda Síochána College provides for a continuum of education/training from Trainee Garda stage up to the development of Officers at the highest level. Continuing education/training up to Honours Degree level is provided at regular intervals as member’s progress within the Garda Service.

Members who are promoted to the rank of Sergeant and Inspector undergo an education/development course designed to provide them with the necessary skills of supervision, leadership and communication.

Members promoted to the rank of Superintendent and Chief Superintendent participate in a management education/development programme designed to provide them with the knowledge and skills to manage their respective areas of responsibility.

What locations do you operate from?
There are 710 Garda Stations in the Country. Many of these Garda Stations are manned on a twenty four hour basis.

There are many more areas of deployment. These include National Units, for example:
  • The Garda National Drugs Unit
  • The Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation
  • The Garda Water Unit
  • The Air Support Unit. 
Other areas of deployment include International missions, for example the U.N. missions to Cyprus.

What are the current employment trends?
All members commence employment at Garda rank, but promotions are advertised internally on an ongoing basis.

Describe any particular characteristics of your workforce?
In recent years the male-female staff ratio has changed. In 1997 when the Strength of An Garda Siochana was 10960 there were 949 female members which equated to 8.6% of the total organisation. Now in 2007 of the 13780 members, 2836 are females equating to 20.6% of the organisation.

The age and service profiles of the members of the Organisation were recently calculated as follows:


Age Group Number (as of June 2007) % of Service
24 & Under 1333 10.00%
25 - 29 2798 20.90%
30 - 34 2297 17.20%
35 - 39 1616 12.20%
40 - 44 1564 11.70%
45 - 49 2091 15.60%
50 and Over 1672 12.50%

Years Service Number % of Service
Up to 4 3636 27.20%
5 - 9 2571 19.20%
10 - 14 1502 11.20%
15 - 19 737 5.50%
20 - 24 1966 14.70%
25 - 29 1958 14.60%
30+ 1001 7.50%







 

Garda
Ronan Quinn
"Our main role in the morning is to keep traffic flowing in order to get people to work on time"
Go..
Ronan Quinn
   
Assistant Commissioner
Louis Harkin
"The structure of the organisation provides opportunities for career progression in a range of fields - operational policing, traffic, specialist units etc."
Go..
Louis Harkin
   
Detective
Frank Keenaghan
"The position affords the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life with whom one can interact and network"
Go..
Frank Keenaghan
   
Garda
Trevor Laffan
"The job has been very good to me and my family and has afforded us a great quality of life"
Go..
Trevor Laffan
   
Garda - Traffic Corps
Gail Smith
"Every day is different. It's like Forrest Gump and his box of chocolates; you never know what you're going to get"
Go..
Gail Smith
   

1
View profile of the Garda Reserve

 

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