Minister denies trainee gardaí patrolling unvetted

Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan has rejected claims from the Labour Party that unvetted trainees in the Garda are patrolling the streets. Alan Kelly, Labour's Justice Spokesperson, raised concerns in the Dáil about new vetting procedures for trainee gardaí. He stated that in November, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris announced that full vetting would not happen before trainees enter the training college in Templemore. Kelly expressed that this decision has caused alarm within the police force. He questioned how standards can be maintained if trainees are not fully vetted beforehand. O'Callaghan responded by asserting that the current vetting process is very thorough and involves three stages. The first stage of vetting takes place before recruits enter Templemore, while the second and third stages occur during their training. O’Callaghan emphasized that this approach accelerates recruitment, ensuring that all new gardaí are eventually fully vetted. He insisted that no officers would patrol the streets without thorough vetting, although Kelly maintained that the current standards have changed and raised concerns about the integrity of the process. O’Callaghan reiterated that the vetting is done while trainees are in training, to help address a recruitment crisis. He stressed that the process has been adjusted to enable quicker hiring without compromising on vetting quality. In a statement after the debate, Kelly called the situation “absolutely staggering” and expressed how the public might react to the idea of unvetted trainees being deployed. He demands reassurance that no trainee is sent out on patrol without completing the full vetting process.