Green Party critical of 'premature' recruitment of Garda Reserve

Press Release: Justice 14 August 2006

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14 August 2006

Green Party slams 'premature' Garda recruitment drive

"Minister is compromising the safety of the Reserves, the full-time Gardaí and the general public"

The Green Party has criticised the Minister for Justice for embarking on a premature recruitment drive for the Garda Reserve force. The Party has also attacked the Minister on his apparent u-turn on elements in the regulations governing the reserves. The Minister published guidelines for the Garda Reserve last Friday and this morning a recruitment drive to fill 900 places on the reserve force commenced, despite a policy of non-cooperation in relation to the reserves from both the Garda Representative Association and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors.

Green Party Justice spokesperson Ciarán Cuffe TD said: "While the Green Party is in theory in favour of the introduction of a Garda Reserve, this should only happen when agreement has been reached by all parties on all aspects of the reserve force. It is simply not feasible to push ahead with the introduction of a volunteer force while the full-time force refuses to have any dealings with it. The Minister, in driving forward in this manner, is compromising the safety of the Reserves, the full-time Gardaí and the general public.

"I am also extremely concerned at the announcement that the Reserve force will be allowed to go out on patrol in the absence of a member of the full-time force. The Garda representative bodies had been given assurances that the reserves would only operate in the company of a full-time member of the force. This is a disturbing development particularly since the reserves will be required to engage in crowd control activities without adequate back-up from full-time members.

"I have no doubt that if implemented in line with best international practice and with appropriate consideration for all interested parties the Garda Síochána Reserve could provide much needed support for the current full-time Garda force", Deputy Cuffe concluded.