Tipperary North TD Alan Kelly is expressing concerns that the Government will move some Garda Training away from the Garda College in Templemore. The College has a capacity for 800 recruits per year at present and the Government wants to increase the number to 1,000 per annum at least. Deputy Kelly says the Justice Minister, Jim O’Callaghan, has been unequivocal that the change is in the Programme for Government and that a report to make recommendations on recruitment including creating a second training centre will be compiled for the Minister by Summer.
Deputy Kelly is concerned about a detrimental impact for the town of Templemore and the local region and that it could erode the standing of the Garda College in Templemore. The Nenagh based TD wants the Government to invest in Templemore and use land that was purchased in 2006 in Clonmore, near Templemore, to expand capacity. The project was abandoned after the financial crash and a GSOC investigation continues into how the Garda College managed the rent it received from the land in the immediate aftermath of the financial crash.
