THE NUMBER OF female gardaí has risen by over 1,000 in the past decade, newly released figures show.
There are 3,370 female gardaí in the force as of 31 August.
This represents just over a quarter (26.2%) of the 12,850 members of An Garda Síochána.
This is up from 2,323 in 2006, which represented just under a fifth (18.5%) of the entire force at the time.
The breakdown of the individual rankings of female gardaí show few changes at senior management level (with the exception of the Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan).
The number of women in the positions of deputy commissioner (0) and assistant commissioner (1) remains unchanged in the decade since 2006.
However, other grades of gardaí have changed significantly over the past 10 years.
There are now double the number of female superintendents, inspectors and sergeants as there were in 2006.
There are now 349 female sergeants in the force, compared to 168 in 2006.
This number still represents just 17.8% of the 1,956 sergeants in the force.
In terms of rank-and-file gardaí, there are now 2,957 females compared to 2,126 in 2006.
Recruitment
The figures were released to Fianna Fáil TD Bernard Durkan on the foot of a Parliamentary Question last month.
Responding to the question, Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald said that she was “very pleased” to announced that a recruitment drive for new gardaí was commenced on 8 September.
“The Garda Authorities have assured me that as part of this campaign a concerted effort is being made to encourage female candidates and members of minority and new communities to apply so that the membership of An Garda Síochána will reflect the diverse communities that it serves,” the minister said.
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