Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said An Garda Síochána had 'no issue around tattoos' generally, explaining a problem only arose if they were still visible when gardaí were in uniform.
Earlier this year, small numbers of garda recruits in training were sent home from the college, and had their training places deferred, because they had tattoos that were still visible when they were in uniform. The Irish Times understands a number of then have since had the tattoos removed.
Mr Harris said he was very pleased the maximum age of a garda recruit was being increased, adding those aged 35 to 50 years would undergo the same training as their younger colleagues. They would also be required to pass physical fitness tests as all new recruits spent at least two or three years policing the streets, which was physically demanding.