Garda wannabes applying for a job in the force will have to give a DNA sample if successful.
A booklet has been published as part of the latest garda recruitment drive with notes for applicants and conditions of service should they succeed.
The pamphlet outlines the do’s and don’ts for prospective garda trainees along with what they can expect at various stages of the applications process.
Candidates with tattoos on the face and neck which cannot be hidden by the garda uniform, for example, need not apply.
A good standard of physical and mental health is also required with “full disclosure of medical history” forming part of the medical examination. An applicant, meanwhile, should be “within normal (weight) limits” and be neither underweight or overweight.
Applicants who make it through interview and other assessments will undergo vetting and if this process is not possible, an application may fall.
Meanwhile, for the past three years, trainee gardaí have been bound by the provisions of the Criminal Justice (Forensic Evidence and DNA Database System) Act 2014.
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This states that samples taken from trainees “will be used to generate a DNA profile in respect of the person to be entered in the elimination (Garda Síochána) index of the DNA Database System and the effect of such an entry.”
“The taking of such samples is for the purpose, in relation to the investigation of offences, of ascertaining whether that person has contaminated a crime scene sample,” the candidate selection booklet states.
The strength of the force is currently some 14,000 garda members, 2,500 civilian staff and 500 garda reserves.
The Government aims to bring these figures to 15,000, 4,000 and 2,000 respectively by 2021.
It was revealed as part of the latest recruitment drive that the force is to permit the wearing of turbans and hijabs as part of the garda uniform.
The move is designed to encourage candidates from minority communities to join up.
The closing date for applications is 3pm on Wednesday, April 24.
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