WATCH: Meet the Tipperary Garda recruit who speaks seven languages
The former soldier and criminology graduate says An Garda Síochána was the ‘perfect fit’ for her
A Tipperary Town woman, originally born in Slovakia, has officially begun her career as a member of An Garda Síochána after graduating as part of the largest single class of Garda recruits to be attested since before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Alexandra Pasztrova was one of 206 new Gardaí sworn in during a graduation ceremony at the Garda College in Templemore on Friday, July 24. She will now begin her operational duties based in Waterford city.
Alexandra said her previous experience in the Defence Forces and her academic background, having studied Criminology, made policing the natural next step in her career. She described to the media as An Garda Síochána being “the perfect fit” for her.
Alexandra has made Tipperary Town her home and she brings an impressive range of language skills to her new role. She speaks Slovak, Polish, Czech, Russian, English, Irish and also has a working knowledge of French.
She believes those language skills will prove invaluable in serving increasingly diverse communities.
"I think my range of languages will absolutely help me. When I was based in Stage 2, I found it very helpful. There were people coming from different countries who needed help with translation, so being able to understand them and made them feel comfortable when speaking with me,” she explained.
Alexandra graduated as part of Intake 254, which saw 206 Garda recruits take the oath of office on Friday morning. The class represents the largest single attestation since 2019, before the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking at the Garda College to the media, Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration Jim O'Callaghan congratulated the new Garda members as they embarked on their careers in public service.
"I want to wish all the members of An Garda Síochána well in their careers. It is a very worthwhile career they are embarking on and also that obviously there are risks involved in it but that I suppose is part of the reason why people want to devote themselves to public service within An Garda Síochána," he said.
The Minister also welcomed the attendance of PSNI Chief Constable John Boutcher at the ceremony.
"I also want to mention I very much welcome the fact that we have the Chief Constable of the PSNI down here today, John Boutcher, and I want to welcome him to the passing out as well," he added.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said the graduation marked another significant milestone in strengthening frontline policing across the country.
"We have 206 members of An Garda Síochána being attested today so that is really welcome for communities all around the country and in addition to that we have just over 200 people arriving into our college on Sunday night. So we are in a really good position around resourcing at the moment," he said.
The newly sworn Gardaí were recruited through the 2024 and 2025 recruitment campaigns and completed a blend of classroom learning at the Garda College in Templemore alongside practical training in Garda stations.
Of the 206 graduates, 142 are male and 64 are female. The class also reflects the increasing diversity of An Garda Síochána, with 24 members born outside Ireland representing 15 different countries, including Slovakia, Poland, Brazil, Nigeria, Canada and Vietnam.
The new probationer Gardaí have now been assigned to stations across the country, with 94 allocated to the Dublin Region, 56 to the Eastern Region, 25 to the Southern Region and 31 to the North Western Region.
The latest attestation brings the total number of probationer Gardaí sworn in since recruitment resumed in 2022 to more than 2,200.
An Garda Síochána currently has a strength of 14,733 sworn members, supported by 3,683 Garda staff, 304 Garda Reserves and 604 Garda trainees.
Recruitment continues at pace, with a further 404 recruits currently training at the Garda College and another intake of more than 200 trainees due to begin on Monday, July 27.
Recruit classes continue to enter the Garda College every 11 to 12 weeks as An Garda Síochána works to increase frontline policing resources nationwide.