The Government has announced that despite its recent freeze on senior rank promotions in the gardaí, it will move in weeks to appoint officers to the positions of superintendent and chief superintendent which have been left vacant around the country.
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern also said the Government will be going ahead with his proposal to ban handguns.
Speaking at the Garda Training College in Templemore, Mr Ahern also announced that the jail penalty for possession of a knife in a public place will be increased from one to five years.
102 members of the Garda Reserve force were graduating at the Garda Training College in Templemore this afternoon.
Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy was in attendance.
The new recruits bring the total number of reservists recruited to date to 520.
That is 3,480 less than the total number proposed initially for recruitment by the Government and the Garda Commissioner in July 2005.
Former justice minister Michael McDowell said that the new Garda Reserve, with 4,000 members, would provide a valuable additional support for gardaí.
It was hoped they would deal with issues such as road traffic checkpoints and community policing.
Of the 520 members, 143 are women and 377 are men.
Just 322 reservists are working alongside gardaí and 198 are still in training.
