Fine Gael has reacted sceptically to the news that a plan to recruit 2,000 extra gardai is to be brought before the Cabinet after the Summer break.
Government parties pledged to recruit the new officers in the 2002 general election but soon after said the need to curb spending meant they could not follow through on the promise.
A spokeswoman at the Department of Justice today said it was always the Government's intention to increase the size the force to 14,000 when finances permitted and that the minister is confident the target can be achieved.
She also confirmed that proposals will be brought before Cabinet in the Autumn.
During the 2002 election Garda representative groups said it could take as long as 10 years to train 2,000 gardai under the current training regime at Templemore.
The Minster for Justice, Mr McDowell, told the Dail last month: "The annual intake required to implement the commitment [to train 2,000 new gardai] would require an enhancement of the current capacity of the Garda College, and this will be factored into the recruitment plan".
He told the Irish Independenttoday that he was examining ways to reduce the number of phases spent by the new gardai under the current two-year training programme.
Fine Gael's justice spokesman Mr Jim O'Keeffe was scornful, saying the minister is "is all talk and no action".
"If the Minister for Justice were really serious about fulfilling the almost 2½ year old promise of providing an extra 2,000 gardai at least some of them would be on the streets by now, instead all we have is another announcement.
"Who does Minister McDowell think he is fooling".
"We are sick and tired of hearing about his plans and his intentions when all anyone really wants is to feel safer in our towns and cities, and to that end we need to see more gardai on the beat," Mr Higgins said.