An increase in the Garda training allowance is still €4 below the minimum wage and is not going to make any significant difference to recruitment campaigns, the general secretary of the Garda Representative Association, Ronan Slevin, has said.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee announced on Wednesday that she was increasing the garda trainee allowance from €305 per week to €354.
Mr Slevin told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that recruitment campaigns have not resulted in the numbers promised.
Resignations and retirements have made it even more difficult to meet targets. Actions taken by government have not been sufficient to deal with the current staffing levels within the force, he added.
At a time when there was full employment in the economy, more efforts would be required to encourage people away from other forms of employment, he pointed out.
While accommodation and food were included at the training college in Templemore, for 10 weeks of the eight-month course,…
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