The Garda Podcast

In this Missing Persons Day special, you'll hear from Detective Chief Superintendent Colm Noonan who has responsibility for the Garda Missing Persons Unit, Jerry Bradley, brother of Alan Bradley who went missing in Maynooth, Kildare in 1999 and you'll hear from Dr Hilary Clarke, a scientist from Forensic Science Ireland (FSI). Missing Persons Day, hosted by the Department of Justice, is an annual commemorative day for families and friends to remember their missing loved ones. It's also a day for An Garda Síochána to highlight how we will do all we can to bring those who are missing home and to encourage anyone with information about any missing person to please contact us. You can do so by contacting any Garda Station or by calling the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.

Our Garda College is the national centre for police training, development and learning and is based in the town of Templemore, Co. Tipperary. In this episode, you'll find out what life is like for Garda Trainees during their Foundation Training Programme and what it takes to become a member of An Garda Síochána.

Our National Escort Unit consists of highly skilled Garda motorcyclists who provide escorts for various reasons, including for the transport of VIPs and critically ill patents. In this episode, you'll go inside this specialist unit and hear about their training, more about who they escort and why.

This episode features an interview with Superintendent Niall Featherstone, Chief Bureau Officer with the Garda National Vetting Bureau. Last year, our Garda Vetting Bureau processed over 588,000 vetting applications from 28,000 relevant organisations. Find out why vetting takes place, what information is looked for during the vetting process, what is disclosed to an organisation, tips on how to carry out your vetting application and lots more.