Have you got what it takes to be a Garda? Check out this account of what it involves!

The drive is on this February to highlight the need for new applicants to An Garda Síochána and to entice some new people into the force. Members of the media were invited to attend the Garda College last week to meet Trainees and Instructors and - in addition - were invited to undertake the Garda Recruitment Fitness Test and Physical Competency Test at the Garda College, Templemore.

A garda recruitment drive to increase the numbers of applicants was highlighted in recent weeks and with records showing that just over one in three people fail the pre-selection fitness test, taking the fear factor away from it is important. Allowing the media the opportunity to take the test may offer another avenue to demystify the test and see if it is attainable for some who may not have previously considered joining up as a career choice.

Following a Government decision, the age limit to apply to become a Garda trainee has increased from 35 years to 50 which broadens the pool and offers many with life experience an opening to join. In order to provide a steady pipeline of Garda trainees over the coming years, it is intended that Garda recruitment campaigns will run annually.

I went along to Templemore to “take the test”. While I haven’t previously considered it as a career I know plenty of people who have and so I was eager to do as well as possible in the test. 

There are two parts to it: the Fitness Test and the Physical Competence Test.   The first part consists of a Bleep Test which is something GAA, rugby and soccer teams as well as other athletes will be familiar with. For those that aren’t it consists of running 20 metres between two points and a bleep sound will ring in the allocated time. Once is fine, but this goes on and on.

More runs tire people out. The standard needed to pass is set out beforehand. Gradually the runs get harder and people drop out but if you are in your twenties a certain level must be achieved, up to fifty and the level is a little less but is graded to be equally difficult.  I had no warm up of note done, a big breakfast eaten and the wrong type of runners but I was confident as I play competitive sports regularly and felt I had a decent level of fitness built up. I got there after a Bank Holiday weekend. A trip to Parnell Park in Dublin on Saturday for Tipp versus Dublin meant wine and fine dining so the shock of the test after the weekend took adjusting to!

Others were feeling it too but the members of the media that jogged regularly were up to speed. I was determined to drive on too. Practice is key to passing the Bleep Test and details can be downloaded from An Garda Síochána website. Once everyone completed that test it was off to another arena for sit ups and press ups. It became clear quickly to me that preparation was key and I hadn’t done my homework!

The right technique and - again - practice is key. I have often done press ups in GAA or soccer training sessions so that didn’t present a problem however sit ups always seemed like pure stress. I bailed out at that because I needed to spend more time practising my technique. Rome wasn’t built in a day as they say!

A good share of the media managed it, more than I thought would to be honest, but a good few were spent by then as well. At that point we met some instructors and then made our way to another part of the College for Section 2 - The Obstacle Course. 
One of the recruits and the instructor went through the various parts like jumping over a gate, going up steps, running through cones, lifting and moving a tyre, balancing on a beam and carrying a mannequin with a dead weight of about 45kgs (in the shape of a dead body).  

It had to be completed in three minutes, three times. If people weren’t wrecked beforehand they were by then for sure!
Having said that, one member of the media training for it for weeks was able to do it comfortably and braggingly said it should be harder.

I thought it was a fair enough test. To catch criminals you will get two years training. This is an entrance test, and ultimately it is to ensure you are fit enough to get stuck into the real training which will be provided after entering. With regular practice ahead of the test passing is achievable, that was the feeling I came away with. If a career depended on it you could do it. I tried to imagine doing the obstacle course in the line of duty and can see the importance of jumping over gates, hard running and so on. As the old beer ad said though “Nobody said it was going to be easy” and most there were spent.

I spoke to some of the trainee guards present and they all came from different careers to join up. Mechanics, farmers, teachers and people from every walk of life sign up. They need to because the police force needs strengthening and many more applicants. From now on recruitment will be more regular and now applicants can be up to the age of 50 when they join. The test is graded according to age brackets. A fit 50-year-old will do better at the test than a half fit 25-year-old so age is not really a factor any more, as it shouldn’t be in any walk of life. 

 The Government cut Garda numbers previously and now they realise they need more on the force. Obviously way more gardaí are needed in Tipperary with the explosion of rural crime and many closed stations are an invite to criminals. As of December 31st Ireland only had 13,998 gardaí. The target is now 15,000 gardaí with possibly even more needed due to population growth and changing nature of crime. Go for it if you think you can make a difference.