Waterford has received eight newly attested Garda members following last Friday’s graduation ceremony at the Garda College, with the new recruits set to bolster policing services across the county.

The new officers were among 206 Gardaí who were formally attested as sworn members of An Garda Síochána during a ceremony held on Friday, July 24. The graduation class, Intake 254, is the largest single attestation class since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the eight Gardaí assigned to Waterford, six will be based in Waterford City, while two have been assigned to the Dungarvan District, including one Garda who will serve the Lismore area.

The new recruits form part of a wider allocation across the Eastern Region, which received 56 probationer Gardaí following the attestation ceremony. Waterford/Kilkenny Division was allocated nine Gardaí in total, with the remaining member assigned to Kilkenny.

Nationally, the 206 newly sworn Gardaí have now taken up operational duties across the country, with allocations made as follows:

• Dublin Region – 94
• Eastern Region – 56
• Southern Region – 25
• North Western Region – 31

The graduates were recruited through the 2024 and 2025 Garda recruitment campaigns and began their training at the Garda College in Templemore on November 17, 2025. Their training included a combination of classroom instruction, practical learning in Garda stations, and operational placements before qualifying as probationer Gardaí.

The latest attestation brings the number of probationer Gardaí sworn into An Garda Síochána since recruitment resumed in 2022 to more than 2,200.

The additional Gardaí assigned to Waterford are expected to strengthen frontline policing and enhance the Garda presence across both urban and rural communities, including Waterford City, Dungarvan and Lismore.