Newest Gardai addition to Longford’s team hopes to inspire others

When 154 trainee Gardaí threw their caps into the air in celebration of being sworn in at Templemore Garda College on August 2 last, it was a distinctly bittersweet moment for one man in particular.

Romanian born, Garda Ionut Carabus, the newest addition to the Longford policing team, had not only achieved a lifelong dream of becoming a Garda, he had also fulfilled the wishes of his beloved younger sister Alexandra.

Read more: Longford man who was abusive to takeaway staff ordered to make charity donation

In an interview with The Longford Leader, Garda Carabus explained why Alexandra’s words in particular gave him the encouragement and strength to persevere in his bid to join the Gardaí.

“I had two sisters and 12 years ago, my younger sister, Alexandra, was involved in a road traffic accident. She was an innocent passenger and unfortunately lost her life. In our last conversation together, she said “why don't you keep trying to go for the guards because I think you'll be a good guard? That pushed me.”

Now in the emergency services himself, Garda Carabus says his personal tragedy means he understands what families are going through when they receive such devastating news. He hopes to eventually work in the road policing unit.

“I know the difficulty in getting that call when a tragedy happens,” he explains. “It's a very, very difficult thing for families to go through. I know what they’re experiencing though and can talk to them because I’ve been through it.

Now, I want to try to help prevent this from happening to other families; to try to promote the road safety aspect, to help show how important it is to follow the rules and to try to help prevent a family from getting that phone call in the middle of the night telling them a tragedy has happened.”

Even before moving to Ireland back in 2001, Garda Carabus held ambitions of joining the force. Thanks to years of persistence and determination, he has finally achieved his goal.

“I think I’ve lived here longer than I’ve lived in my own country,” he laughs. “Joining the Gardai was something that was always in the back of my mind. I first applied when I was in Romania.

Things were different that time though. First I needed to have five years of residency here, which I didn't have. Then when I had the five years residency, it was still compulsory to have Irish in your Leaving Cert which I didn't have either.

That has since been scrapped but at the time, I decided the next best thing was to join the Garda Reserves. I was a reserve member for about 10/11 years in Sligo. It gave me the opportunity to see inside the organisation and the operational side, and to be honest with you, it was something that I really, really wanted to do full time.”

He adds, “It was a lengthy process being a dual citizen coming from a different country as well, all the background checks took a long time,” he explains. “The freeze in the public sector came and everything was put to one side. Then when they increased the age limit for Garda candidates, it was another amazing opportunity for me to try it. A lot of my colleagues in the reserves also pushed me to go full-time, so I said I'd give it one more try. Luckily I was successful.”

With the Garda recruitment drive currently in full force, and with the age limit now increased to 50, there will no doubt be many people who want to sign up for the force but for whatever reason may talk themselves out of doing so.

Garda Carabus says it’s never too late. “The organisation badly needs people from different backgrounds with a lot of different experiences,” he explains. “People might think, ‘oh I'm not suitable to be a guard,’ but the organisation will always find a place for someone.

There's different departments where your background and life experiences will help you excel. The opportunities there are endless. People with different life experiences will always bring something unique to the organisation.”

For anyone older who worries their age might be a hindrance, Garda Carabus reassuringly confirms it will actually be an advantage to the role.

“Age is not an obstacle for this job, it's actually a benefit because you can bring so much to the role through life experiences,” he explains. “You will bring a skill that you may not even realise you have, but there's always a skill there that follows you because of your life experience. You will also feel welcome within the organisation straight away.”

Read more: Longford judge expresses concern that people are ‘still falling into the money mule trap’

He adds, “you will feel so welcomed in Templemore as well. You can feel the drive, the encouragement, the determination, and the resilience. Within the college, from the minute you get there, you are welcomed and respected within the organisation. It’s an amazing feeling.”

Stationed in Longford exactly one month now, Garda Carabus cherishes his new role and says his colleagues have been incredible in helping him settle in. He now hopes his story will encourage others into the job.

Read more: PICTURES | Inside the Longford property with bar and gym sold by CAB for €79,000

With a weekly training allowance of €354 for the 36 weeks of training, as well as accommodation and food provided for students in Templemore, prospective students can rest assured they will still be earning a living while they study.

The starting salary is €38,694 upon completion of training. Interested applicants will have until October 9 to apply. Visit www.publicjobs.ie/en/garda-trainee for more information and to submit your application.