Máirín Quill
Question:18 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Justice her Department's input in relation to a review of policing in this State in the context of the ongoing ceasefire. [2818/95]
Written Answers. - Policing Review.
As Minister for Justice, I am responsible to this House for the delivery of an efficient and effective police service to the community. I will, accordingly, be seeking, through my Department, to ensure that all opportunities are taken to improve the quality of policing throughout the State. However, the deployment of resources in the Garda Síochána, and the operational control of the Force remain the responsibilities of the Garda Commissioner.
The reduction in the threat to the community, arising from the cessations announced by the PIRA and the Combined Loyalist Military Command, provides a significant opportunity to use, for other Garda purposes, a proportion of the resources which have until now been assigned exclusively to security-related tasks.
Following those developments, the Garda authorities have conducted a high level review of security commitments to ensure that the resources assigned to them are appropriate having regard to the needs involved and the overall demands on Garda services. Deputies will understand that, as a matter of prudence, there would be need to allow for a reasonable time interval between the ending of a major and sustained campaign of violence which, as we all know, continued for 25 years, before the security adjustments which became possible as a result of that momentous development can be put into place and become fully apparent.
Some of these changes are already under way and while I do not want to be too specific at this point I can say that Garda checkpoints on the Border have already been withdrawn, Garda manpower commitments at some prisons are being reduced and other proposals from the Garda authorities affecting the allocation of Garda resources to security-type duties are under consideration.
My intention is to work with the Garda authorities to ensure that where desirable and where the security situation allows, those opportunities are realised taking account of the policing needs of all the areas concerned as well as the needs of the Force. I am most anxious, as is everybody else in this House, to see gardaí reassigned from Border duties at the earliest opportunity. Assuming that the security situation remains as positive as it is at this time — and I am in no doubt that we can look forward to continuing peace — I would expect worthwhile redeployment of Garda manpower and resources to take place during the current year.