Tipp's Garda trainees and instructors play their part in Covid policing plan

The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, has thanked the total of 260 Garda trainees and instructors being deployed this week from the Garda College in Templemore as part of the national policing plan to support the public health guidelines to suppress the spread of Covid-19.  

Minister McEntee said: “I would like to thank the women and men of An Garda Síochána for their continued exemplary response in policing the pandemic. An Garda Síochána has taken extensive action in support of the public health guidelines since the outset of the pandemic. The additional trainees and instructors today released to frontline policing will play an important role in helping support implementation of the public health guidelines during the Level 5 period and I would like to thank all of them for the vital work which they will be doing to help suppress the virus.”  

As part of An Garda Síochána’s policing plan in support of Level 5 of the Framework of Restrictive Measures, training in the Garda College will be suspended for the next nine weeks except for specialist training activity (firearm and armed support). This will release large numbers of personnel to front-line policing including: 
125 attested Garda trainees currently undertaking phase one training in the Garda College; 
75 Garda trainees not attested undertaking phase one training; and 
60 Gardaí working as tutors/instructors in the Garda College (out of a cohort of 80 Gardaí).  

This in addition to the 45 Gardaí who temporarily transferred from the Garda College to the front-line at the start of the pandemic and who have remained on front-line duty. 

Minister McEntee added: “Covid-19 remains a real threat to all of us and in particular to our most vulnerable citizens. This is a critical time for our country and we all have a responsibility to comply with the public health guidelines and regulations for the good of everyone. 

“The graduated policing response adopted by Gardaí, where Garda members engage, educate, encourage and only as a last resort enforce the relevant emergency regulations has served the public well and builds on the core value of An Garda Síochána of policing by consent. This will continue throughout this vitally important period.”  

The trainees being released to aid in the policing of this phase of the pandemic will return to the Garda College to complete their training early in the new year.