Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has welcomed the support voiced today by Garda superintendents for the proposed Garda Reserve force, congratulating them for their willingness to embrace change.
The Association of Garda Superintendents (AGS) were the first in the force to publicly support the plan after it was rejected by both rank-and-file members and by the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) recently.
At the body's annual conference in Dublin today, AGS president Noel McLoughlin was said a Reserve force would enhance the Garda's capacity to respond and would lead to a more visible presence and put greater crime deterrent on the streets.
"It will assist the Garda Siochana, particularly with visible presence," he said. "This is what the public are looking for, a greater physical presence on the street. "What the public want is bodies on the ground. What the public want is boots on the ground."
Addressing the AGS conference tonight, Mr McDowell said the Reserve was a "significant step" and would be a valuable additional support for gardaí.
"I also take careful note of your view that to manage change your members must be consulted and included in the process. I fully endorse that, and I am committed to full consultation on the establishment of the reserve," he said.
"I again congratulate your association's willingness and ability to, in your own words, 'think outside the box', embrace change and adopt new techniques," he said. "I hope we can all work together, in your own words 'in tandem', in the spirit of partnership, openness and transparency in achieving the goals we all share."
Groups representing the majority of rank-and-file gardaí, who are against Mr McDowell's plan, have portrayed the Reserve as an attempt to introduce low cost policing with poorly trained part-time reservists.
Last month, the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors narrowly voted in favour of non-co-operation with the Garda Reserve.
The recruitment process for the first 900 of 4,000 reservists will begin within months, with Mr McDowell warning gardaí the general public may turn on them if the Reserves are not welcomed.
In his speech tonight, Mr McDowell reiterated his commitment to increasing Garda numbers to 14,000 by the end of this year.
The Minister said the additional 2,000 members would not be put on administrative duties but "directly into frontline, operational, high-visibility policing".
"This unprecedented increase in the strength of the force will also permit a significant increase in the number of gardaí allocated to traffic law enforcement duties," he said.