Gardaí have significantly relaxed fitness requirements for joining the force as it struggles to recruit new members.
Prospective gardaí will no longer have to perform any sit-ups or push-ups to gain admission to the Garda college.
The requirements for the bleep test, which requires candidates to run repeatedly between two points 20m apart in a set time, have also been relaxed.
The varying standards for male, female, younger and older candidates have also been replaced with a single standard for all candidates.
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It is understood the change was motivated by concerns over the low number of people passing the initial fitness test, as Garda management struggles to increase the size of the force.
The Government has long promised to increase the number of gardaí to 15,000, a commitment repeated by recently appointed Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan in the wake of two serious knife attacks in Dublin in recent weeks.
However, the number of gardaí remains around 14,000.
Garda management was also concerned the varying qualification requirements for men and women and older and younger candidates could result in the force being subject to a discrimination case.
The Garda previously lost two discrimination cases based on its age limit of 35 for new candidates. Last year, this age limit was increased to 50.
Under the previous pre-entry fitness test, prospective trainees were required to perform between 16 and 37 sit-ups and between nine and 24 press-ups.
The requirements differed based on age and gender, with men between the ages of 18 and 29 required to do the most and women between 40 and 49 the least.
Candidates also had to run between 660m and 1240m on the bleep test and achieve a score of between 4.9 and 8.5, depending on age and gender. A third stage involved passing an obstacle course within a certain time limit.
Under the new system, the sit-up and push-up section has been abandoned entirely. The various targets for the bleep tests have been replaced with a single score requirement of 5.6, regardless of age and gender.
[ One in six Garda recruits failing fitness test required to complete trainingOpens in new window ]
The obstacle course remains unchanged.
For most categories of applicants, the changes will make the test significantly easier. However, women over the age of 40 will find the bleep test slightly harder, as they previously had to achieve a score of 4.9 but will now have to score 5.6.
The new policy came into effect last Saturday. It will first be rolled out for the candidate intake from the current Garda recruitment campaign.
All candidates still have to pass the fitness tests which take place further into the training course.
The pass requirements for these tests, which are overseen by the University of Limerick, remain unchanged. However, it is understood Garda management is also considering making them easier.
Figures released last year showed 162 out of 520 candidates failed the pre-entry test.
Almost half of all women who took the test failed. Surprisingly, younger candidates had a higher failure rate than older recruits.
Before becoming Minister Mr O’Callaghan repeatedly called for the relaxation of the pre-entry fitness requirements, which he said were a barrier to recruitment.
