Two gardaí have said poor morale and a lack of support were among the reasons they decided to leave the force.
Laura Young from Rathvilly and Luke Staines from Baltinglass appeared on an RTÉ Prime Time special.
Ms Young left the force in 2021 after 14 years as a garda in Dublin. She sought the support of her GP and counselling to deal with the stresses of the job, adding that she felt there was a lack of support from An Garda Síochána.
Mr Staines resigned after three years, citing a lack of equipment to investigate crime.
In an interview with The Nationalist, Ms Young said: “I would argue who in God’s name is cut out for a job where you see a suicide every two to three weeks, or a tragic car accident where someone’s head has decapitated? Who is cut out for that? I’d argue, nobody.”
She said the final straw came when she was investigated over two calls during the cancelled 999 call controversy.
“It just felt like I’m doing my job. In fact, I am doing the job of probably two gardaí because numbers are so crap … I remember in that moment waiting to hear my results and I made that decision. I’m not coming back to this job and I didn’t.”
Ms Young said a lack of resources was putting major strain on gardaí.
“Our area used to have between six and eight patrol cars covering the area on a night shift and then it became very much the norm that just one patrol car.”
She said she had highlighted her story to help those still in the force.
“Maybe it might make a tiny bit of a shred of difference,” she said. “I’ve always been someone who stood up for what I thought was right and against what I thought was wrong. So that’s why I’m talking to everyone who listen to me.”
