The Gardai have launched a campaign to attract its first Arab recruits.

Posters advertising a new round of recruitment were today on the force’s website, with appeals in Arabic to join up.

The gardai already have several Chinese officers and now want to extend its cultural mix by recruiting Arabic speakers.

The campaign does not expressly state it but some of those who sign up may join the gardai’s fight against extremism.

However, it is thought that the vast majority of recruits would be assigned to the frontline in day to day uniform police work.

The army’s intelligence unit takes the lead in monitoring al Qa’ida suspects here and many of its officers have a knowledge of Arabic having served in areas of the Middle East.

As part of a multi-cultural drive, recruitment posters in a variety of languages have been ordered to encourage entrants from all of Ireland's ethnic groups.

There are currently no Arabic speakers in the garda – a fact that may be set to change. Applications are also sought in Chinese, Latvian, Polish, Romanian and Russian.

The decision to use a number of foreign languages to attract new more diversified recruits was taken a number of years ago.

But to date the Arabic drive has not resulted in a single new garda from an Arab background.

“An Garda Siochana started using foreign language advertisements for recruiting purposes in 2005 and prior to our most recent Competition for Selection of Garda Trainees in June 2008,” a garda spokesperson confirmed.

“In addition to Arabic, and of course Irish, the English version of this poster has been translated and distributed in Chinese, French, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian and Russian.”

Candidates to join the service must be between 18 and 35 years of age, be in good mental and bodily health and be of good character.

Certain minimum standards of education are specified in the requirements.

Applicants to join must be either a national of a European Union Member State, or a national of an EEA State or the Swiss Confederation, or be a refugee under the Refugee Act, 1996, or finally have a period of one year's continuous residence in the State immediately before September 1, 2005 and, during the eight years immediately preceding that period, have had a total residence in the State amounting to four years.

Asylum

Periods of illegal residence or residence as an asylum seeker do not count in the qualifying five-year period.

“The posters have been displayed on our website and have been forwarded to Community Relations,” a spokesperson said.

“The posters will be distributed in shops, community groups, meeting places for the ethnic grouping concerned. There are no Arab members of An Garda Siochana.”

- Lisa-Anne Crookes