Gardai are set to spend €600,000 over the next four years on drug testing for officers.
An internal application for funding said the estimated cost for checking around 1,900 candidates, trainees, and gardai would be €150,000.
It added gardai had up to now been unable to monitor drug use within the force and instead had to rely on gathering intelligence to identify use and supply of narcotics by officers.
It said “international best practice” was for workplace drug testing and that it was already in place in the Irish Prison Service and Defence Forces.
The application for financial sanction said drug use had become more commonplace and socially accepted, especially among those aged between 15 and 34.
It added: “These societal attitude changes could impact on garda personnel who would be susceptible to corruption in addition to being exposed to the drug market due to the nature of their role.”
Public confidence in gardai depended on the highest level of personal and professional standards. It warned that “corrupt, improper, or unethical behaviour” had a disproportion impact on the gardai, the wider community, and the entire justice system.
A Garda spokeswoman said: “An Garda Siochana is progressing the introduction of a substance misuse (controlled drugs) testing programme within the organisation. The use of controlled drugs by Garda personnel is not tolerated. Possessing and supplying controlled drugs are criminal offences.
“An Garda Siochana has not conducted drug testing up to now.
“However, any members suspected of the unlawful possession of drugs are fully investigated from a criminal and disciplinary point of view.”
