Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald has announced the start of a campaign to recruit 600 new gardaí in 2016.

“It underscores the Government’s commitment to seamless ongoing recruitment to An Garda Síochána to ensure that the service is renewed and has the capacity to provide effective policing services throughout the country,” said the minister at the announcement on Friday 27 November.

The new gardaí will bring to 1,150 the total number of new recruits since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014. So far 295 of these recruits are serving as gardaí in communities nationwide.

The existing recruitment campaign that began in 2013 is ongoing, and successful candidates will continue to be called from that campaign in the New Year.

It is expected that successful candidates from the 2016 campaign will enter the Garda College from next summer.

Minister Fitzgerald added that the 2016 campaign “will, in addition to an Irish language stream, include a special stream for eligible members of the Garda Reserve who give their time on a voluntary basis to support the work of An Garda Síochána.”

Anyone interested in joining An Garda Síochána should visit publicjobs.ie to learn more about how to apply.

“In particular, I urge members of minority and new communities to consider applying so that the membership of An Garda Síochána will reflect the diverse communities that it serves,” said the minister.