As the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including responsibility for the recruitment, training and deployment of Garda members. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.
I am however assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of policing priorities and crime trends, to ensure their optimum use.
The table below, provided to me by the Garda authorities, outlines the number of Gardaí currently trained in each level of public order training within the DMR, as of 6 November 2023.
Level
|
Role
|
Members assigned to DMR
|
5
|
Trainer
|
*
|
4
|
Instructor
|
20
|
3
|
Strategic Commander
Operational Commander
Bronze Commander
Tactical Advisor
Protest removal
Evidence Gatherer
Medic
|
*
12
*
16
22
*
*
|
2
|
Operator
|
337
|
1
|
Level 1
|
219
|
*denotes less than 10