The Garda Commissioner has said the force needs more than 500 new recruits a year to provide a proper policing service to the community.
Nóirín O'Sullivan was speaking at the annual conference of the Association of Garda Superintendents in Co Kildare.
The commissioner welcomed the fact that new garda recruitment had commenced, but said policing is a profession that constantly needs new people.
Garda Superintendents said they are under serious pressure to ensure they have sufficient gardaí to police the country on a 24-hour basis.
While the Government recently announced new recruitment, the General Secretary of the Superintendents Association Denis Ferry said the force needs at least double that to maintain current levels of service.
The Commissioner said she welcomed the fact that the Minister for Justice and the Government had committed to ongoing recruitment because policing is a profession that needs a constant influx of new people.
Ms O'Sullivan said that while 300 new recruits will keep the garda at a standstill, it would need more than 500 new recruits every year in order to ensure the force has the capacity and the capability to deal with various crime types and emerging crime trends.
