There will be no change to the uniform policy in relation to facial jewellery or visible tattoos for new garda recruits, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has said.
Commissioner Harris was speaking at the Garda College in Templemore where Minister for Justice Helen McEntee announced an increase in the entry age limit for gardaí up to 50 years old.
The commissioner said there was no issue around gardaí having tattoos, only visible tattoos. The force is a uniformed organisation and appearance was important, he said.
Tattoos of skulls or the grim reaper, for example, were not appropriate for gardaí dealing with people in traumatic and difficult situations, Commissioner Harris added.
He said rather than making subjective decisions on whether individual tattoos are acceptable or offensive, An Garda Síochána have decided on a policy of no visible tattoos.
These 126 newly sworn members bring the total number of Gardaí to 14,032.
— Garda Info (@gardainfo) October 13, 2023
With 328 recruit Gardaí currently in training and a further 170 due to arrive on Monday morning - over 500 recruit Gardaí will be in training at the Garda College next week.#ItsAJobWorthDoing pic.twitter.com/Tc5kNIQ6x3
Asked about any potential changes to this policy, Ms McEntee said it would not be appropriate for her to comment.
"While I have a say on a lot of things, this is not something I have a role in," she said. "It is not a decision for me to make."
Minister McEntee said the increase in the entry age rate for gardaí, from 35 to 50, was in line with people living longer and changing jobs more often. She said older people will bring experience and diversity to the force.
The garda fitness test is also going to be adapted in line with the current age-related graduated system.
The minister and Commissioner Harris both attended a graduation ceremony for 126 new gardaí at Templemore today.
Ms McEntee said she will bring proposals to increase the application age limit to Government for approval shortly.
The retention and recruitment crisis means that targets for enrolment have consistently been missed in recent years.
The Government has committed to bring the strength of An Garda Síochána up to 15,000 and after the group of 126 graduate today there will be a total of 14,032 gardaí in Ireland.
Budget 2024 made funding available for the recruitment of up to 1,000 new members, but last year’s target of 800 was not reached.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee says the entry requirement age for gardaí is being changed from 35 to 50 | Read more: https://t.co/uSc7hZCBlw pic.twitter.com/cfPspyFsuL
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) October 13, 2023
The fitness test has also been cited as one of the reasons for unsuccessful applications, with a Fianna Fáil TD saying earlier this year that it is too demanding.
It is currently age and gender graded with different levels for men and women and for those aged up to 25 and those up to 35.
There is to be another graded fitness standard for those up to 50, but they will still qualify as a junior garda and be expected to do the same work as everyone else.
This includes 12-hour night shifts and post duty in inclement weather.
There has been no change to the retirement age of 60, which means a limited pension after ten years' service.
Minister McEntee said she is currently in discussions with the Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe on the issue.
Last February, the Labour Court ruled that the age limit of 35 was discriminatory.
The court made the determination after ordering An Garda Síochána to pay €25,400 compensation - or €12,700 each - to unsuccessful job applicants, Ronald Boyle and Brian Fitzpatrick, after finding they were discriminated against on age grounds.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Nothing off the table over garda numbers
Minister McEntee has said that nothing is off the table when it comes to the recruitment and retention of gardaí.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, she said she hopes the age limit change will be approved by Government soon.
She said it was also her opinion that the retirement age, which is currently 60, should be higher.
"I want to change it and I'm in discussions with the Minister for Public Expenditure. We haven't reached a conclusion but that is where I hope to get," she said.
She said the limit change will come with challenges, as it takes time to train gardaí and it can take up to two years for them to be proficient in their role.
"Everybody will still have to do fitness test," she added.
"Our population is growing, we need to see that garda workforce grows with it.
"Nothing is off the table to support the gardaí and the work they are doing. It’s my job to support them in every way that we can."
