Whether the conversation is about Brexit or recent crime sprees, policing along the border is a hot topic right now. So it’s unsurprising when both the Donegal district and the Cavan and Monaghan district last week announced they had recruited a total of 30 new gardai between them, the news was widely welcomed. 

In Monaghan and Cavan five of the new gardai have been allocated to Monaghan town, three to Ballieboro, two to Cavan, and five to Carrickmacross. 

In Donegal, only five will be located near Fermanagh, across the border in Ballyshannon. While 10 of the officers will be going elsewhere, to Letterkenny, Buncrana and Milford, having the extra officers in the county in general will no doubt mean more rural patrols in border areas. 

The new recruits are part of an ongoing drive by An Garda Siochana to attract more recruits to the force, following a long moratorium that saw garda numbers fall dramatically until full recruitment recommenced in 2017. 

Posted just last week, one advertisement reads: “We want to encourage people from all walks of life to join us. We are looking for diversity not only in background, but also in skills.” 

The Herald contacted gardai for a comment on the recent border recruits, but no response was received. A spokesman for the force previously denied reports officers were being recruited to border region in anticipation of the consequences of Brexit.