Members of minority communities have been encouraged to apply to become gardaí so the force can better reflect the diversity of Irish communities.

Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald announced the opening of a campaign to recruit an additional 600 members of An Garda Síochána in 2016.

“In particular, I urge members of minority and new communities to consider applying so that the membership of An Garda Síochána will reflect the diverse communities that it serves,” she said.

Speaking to reporters, she said the interest that had been shown and the experience that had been built up by serving Garda reserve members would be taken into account as part of the new recruitment drive.

The 600 new gardaí will bring to 1,150 the total number of new recruits since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014.

The existing recruitment campaign that began in 2013 is ongoing and successful candidates will continue to be called from that in the New Year.

It is expected that successful candidates from the 2016 campaign will enter the Garda College from mid-2016.

Ms Fitzgerald said the opening of the campaign was an important day for the force.

“It marks the formal announcement on www.publicjobs.ie of the commencement of the 2016 recruitment campaign for new members of An Garda Síochána.”

She said that because of the recession Ireland had effectively stopped investment in the Garda but that with the economy now stabilised investment had resumed, and this would mean more safety for the public.

Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan said the Garda always attracted more applications than there were available positions.

“We want to build on that, attracting people from every strand of Irish life to help us renew our culture while retaining our best traditions.”

“When I joined An Garda Síochána in 1981, I was one of a tiny minority of women,” she added.

“Now, over a quarter of gardaí are women. I hope that trend continues, just as I hope we get lots of applications from every strand of Irish society.”

She continued: “We already have different nationalities and backgrounds represented in An Garda Síochána, but not enough.

“I want people of every background, right throughout the country, to think about joining us and help to make us a beacon of modern policing.”

Successful candidates undergo a two year training programme leading to a BA in applied policing.

The two year programme comprises a 32 week block of tuition at the Garda College in Templemore for phase one with the remaining 72 weeks training taking place predominantly at selected Garda divisions with specific periods of tuition built in.