‘Non-Irish’ quit Garda reserve in droves
2017-04-01 17:56:17 -
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70% of immigrant reserves have left force since 2006


By Chinedu Onyejelem


Nearly 70 per cent of ethnic minorities in the Garda Reserve have resigned their appointment, according to figures released by the Garda.

The news follows a recent recruitment drive urging people of ethnic backgrounds to join the part-time service, a potential stepping stone to full-time posts within the Irish police service.

In a statement promoting the campaign, which ended on 13 April, the Garda said that since 2006 as many as “20 different nationalities” have been represented in the reserve “including people who are Iranian, Polish, Nigerian, Italian, Lithuanian, Albanian, Indian and Chinese.”

It has since emerged that 121 ‘non-Irish reserves’, recruited nearly 11 years ago, make up these nationalities.

Metro Éireann has learned that 83 of these reservists – nearly 70 per cent – “have left since 2006 for multiple reasons,” according to a  Garda spokesperson. 

The total number of native white Irish who left the reserve in the same period was not immediately available.

More than 200 Garda Reserves recruited over the last 11 years “have gone on to pursue full-time careers in the force, including 110 since last year alone,” said the spokesperson. But only four of these are ‘non-Irish reserves’.

At the moment, the Garda says there are 663 reservists, including 182 women and 481 men. The total number of serving non-Irish reserves is 38.

TAGS : garda non-irish
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