The number of Gardaí is now less than it was 5 years ago, despite Gardaí spending over €1.7 million on recruitment advertising over the same period, Gript can reveal.
According to figures released to Gript by An Garda Síochana, the force spent a grand total of €1,772,864.89 on recruitment advertising (not including advertising for the Garda reserves) between 2019 and 2024, including the cost of employing an American ad agency to create the ads, and then promoting them on social media, radio, print, TV and more.
A further €249,087.90 was spent on ads for the Garda Reserves.
According to Gardaí, the 2023 ad campaign garnered 7 million impressions online and reached 1.5 million social media users.
“Of these, 1 million impressions came from Irish people living in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand resulting in 2,195 clicks to publicjobs.ie,” the Gardaí told Gript in a statement.
“The TV campaign had a reach of over 1 million with a third of the target audience (18-35 year olds) viewing the ad at least once. National and local radio ads had a reach of 4.8 million. National and local print had a reach of over 3 million.”
Despite these ads reaching large sections of the Gardaí’s target audience over years, the total number of Gardaí is now less than it was 5 years ago.
At the end of 2019, there were a total of 14,307 enlisted Gardaí on the force. Now, there are 14,074.
While recent recruitment campaigns have resulted in significant indications of interest, with the 2022 campaign attracting 11,000 applications to join the Gardaí and the 2023 one attracting just under 5,000, these have not translated into sufficient numbers of new officers being sworn in to offset outgoing Gardaí.
Despite over 2,400 new recruits being sworn in during those 5 years, significant numbers have been lost to attrition due to resignations, retirements, suspensions, and more, resulting in a net reduction of officers.
The Government has said its ambition is to increase the number of Gardaí to 15,000.
Aontú leader Peadar Toibín TD told Gript that having expensive recruitment campaigns was “pointless” unless the underlying retention issues facing the force were addressed parallel to that.
“It’s pointless for the Gardaí to do window dressing in terms of expensive recruitment processes if they’re not going to tackle the issues at the heart of the recruitment and retention crisis,” he said, adding that these issues were primarily “pay, terms and conditions, and the welfare of Gardaí.”
“Gardaí are now operating in a full-employment market, and an international market. Australia hired more Gardaí net last year than the Irish State, which is a startling figure. And unless the Government compete in terms of pay, terms and conditions, and safety of Gardaí, then this issue is going to continue.”
He added that sophisticated ad campaigns without such issues being adequately addressed were “absolutely pointless, and it just adds to the woes that the Gardaí are suffering under.”
He said that Garda morale was at “crisis levels” and that rank-and-file Garda confidence in the force’s senior management was “lower than I’ve ever seen it.”