carzony wrote: » Didnt the reserves only begin duties in 2006 and this article was from 2007, So 7,358 people applied for the reserves in the first year? seems very high number to me :eek: That really is an unbelievable amount of people wanting to join,
msg11 wrote: » I'm more looking at the 'A total 1,120 people were accepted as trainee Gardaí out of 9,100 applications last year. ' So 9,100 people applied back in 2007. The figure will be around 90,100 when the next one comes around!
Raider190 wrote: » There is no doubt that at some stage there will be a recruitment drive but the numbers required will be in the region of 100- 150 and boy will there be a lot of competition. With almost 1300 garda reserves with a number of years of real front line policing in some of the busiest stations in the country. Taking a figure of 75% of that 1300 who fall within the 18 to 35 years age bracket the number of places in Templemore reduce greatly and then we have those who have third level qualifications , and add in the government quota for foreign nationals it will no doubt be a very tough competition for those who apply.
Raider190 wrote: » Well there is no doubt that a number of currently serving gardai will be pushing their children towards the job. It will be very very tough for those who dont have a relative in the job and have no policing experience. If a reserve has committed his or her free time to gaining the experience then there is no doubt that this will put them ahead of the posse when it come to applying
Raider190 wrote: » There are a huge number of reserves who complete in excess of 500 to 800 hours of service per year and prove to be a huge asset to their respective units. All over the world, police forces make effective use of their reserve officers. The Metropolitian Special Constabulary has been in place for over 180 years and has a rank structure and the special officers have the same powers and duties as their full time colleagues. The Garda Reserve raison d’etre should never be lost. It supplements its regular colleagues and should be treated no differently from any other support arm of An Garda Siochana.It has a niche role, particularly a surge capacity and the policing of the night-time economy, and in these it is a beacon for uniformed volunteering.Reserves are people who, rather than sitting in front of their televisions, don a uniform and stab vest and spend their free time supporting law and order in an increasingly hostile and disrespectful society. Yet rather than be hailed as heroes they are at best unsung and at worst, dismissed.Im sure that many reserve members feel that they are treated in a number of various way ranging from valued essential to indifference, or worse, disdain. Most volunteer for camaraderie, excitement, as a preamble to becoming a regular member or to be useful but whatever the reason, they are doing something constructive and not just talking about it. In an ideal world greater recognition and the expanded use of reserves would be be a KPI and also a genuine, fundamental rethink of the organisation itself is required in order to maximise its potential. The Reserve was created in 2005/6 so it has a long way to go in comparasion with the UK model but it is very , very slowly moving in the right direction and perhaps within the near future will become what every single reserve member wants it to be , an effective and supportive accepted Garda Siochana resource which is there to support the regular force. We must all recognise that many of the current reserves are the full time garda officers of tomorrow and when they finally enter the Garda Training College they will be experienced , knowledgable , well rounded individuals who have realistic expectations of their future police careers and this cannot be considered a bad thing for both An Garda Siochana or the Irish public and State
3fullback wrote: » Ah ya but there is some flutes of reserves only in it for a nose and cause more harm than good, it's babysitting for full timers. That's from my experience ! I would get rid of the the whole set up and use savings to invest in fully fledged officers.
Tyron Jara wrote: » Theres flutes in every job. Including some full timers! Also its not all peaches and roses for reserves either having to be attached to the waist of a full timer while they are out. I bet it can get on the nerves of both the reserve and fulltimer. However if they work well together then there's rarely a problem.
Pappa Charlie wrote: » When recruitment starts there will be an aptitude test to start with, this will have to be passed, if you are a reserve or a child of a member as some are implying and you fail it then you don't get through, it's like any state exam, if you get through then you face an interview which weeds out many more applicants, then the medical weeds out more again, then you are placed on a panel, if you are a reserve and cannot get through the aptitude test then you will not make it to interview, if you do, then you will have an advantage, many people do not have the time to commit to the reserve but would commit to a full time role. They should not be discriminated against as maybe they are currently in full time jobs and trying to keep food on the table, I know many in that situation that would make fine gardai and bring great skills with them, there is limited experience to be gained from the reserve, a full time role is a different ball game!
TylerIE wrote: » That limited experience from the reserve is the closest thing any applicant can get to real policing. If one is that passionate about becoming a Garda they should make the time to become a GR. I know many who juggle family, full time work (including shift work) and farming and other community positions and still manage to be GRs. If one can't manage to get down to Templemore for a few weeks / weekends for GR training I don't know how they expect to spend up to six months away from home for student training. As others have said people still have time to socialise etc, and If they can't sacrifice a few weeks of same for Initial training and a subsequent two evenings a month then they obviously ain't too bothered. There has been a significant dropout rate among recruits and even among qualified members who didn't realise what the job actually entailed. Other services - like the Met - are beginning to recognise that even the limited role PCSOs and Specials have is an excellent intro to the office of constable, and are only recruiting from their ranks. Other services in the UK have fast tracked PCSOs for some time.
Raider190 wrote: » This is worth repeating 'Regulars and Reserves work together' . There is no them and us when it comes to reserve and full time gardai. We have one common foe and that is those individuals who think they can ignore the law and wreck havoc on our society and get away with it. The aim is simple ,to make our country a better and safe place to live.
Raider190 wrote: » The Commissioner does have certain powers in regard to recruiting such as specialists or experts in certain fields outside of the normal channels. At the end of the day Garda Reserves are committing their free time and bearing a lot of expense to serve their country and community. This can only be viewed as a distinct advantage by any interview board. In regard to experience ,Some experience is better than No experience and what will be under consideration is, has the applicant sought to increase his chances of been selected for a full time position in An Garda Siochana by endevouring to gain the required experience and skills which will select him or her as a person on whom the state will feel content to invest more training funds.
Pappa Charlie wrote: » I know many reserves who would not be recommended for full time by training staff, like the full time members sometimes you get square pegs for round holes! I know many who will be highly recommended also but I disagree that you should not have to pass the aptitude test first, and some people genuinely do not have the time to give to the reserve!
TylerIE wrote: » Then how do those people propose to spend 6 months in Templemore, plus weeks in Ballygobackwards as a student and then 2 years probation at least 50km (likely longer) from their current home. Reserves should of course have the aptitude test etc, but certainly should be given a significant preference over those who made no real effort or who relied on "my grandad was a guard".
Pappa Charlie wrote: » Because its a career they are going into not a part time role!!!! Big big difference to most people!
TylerIE wrote: » Exactly - when they are getting enough from it they can make the time! Whereas GRs are making the effort without any reward or guaranteed career, showing they have true dedication and interest in the role and career possibilities - not "I can't fit it in with my busy lifestyle, I'll wait until I'm guaranteed a job and pension".
Pappa Charlie wrote: » I completely disagree! Anyway if your good enough why so defensive
bluetop wrote: » So people are going to leave a secure job to take up a job they know nothing about, do the training and then when they are fully trained up and on the street discover that is not the job for them, yep that is a great move alright, other side of the coin they are not working and still have not joined the reserves they cannot commit to 4 hrs a week, no matter what job you are in you can afford 4 hrs a week, so that argument above holds no water really.@Raider190 All GR need to be on the same page, not mary in Carlow can do xyz but tommy in kilkenny can do wxyz and paul in dublin can only do xy, this needs to be addresses across the board.
