Vol. 454 No. 3
133 Mr. D. Ahern asked the Minister for Justice the ratio in numbers between police officers and the public in the State; the comparative figures for other western European countries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10518/95]
134 Mr. Kirk asked the Minister for Justice the Garda numbers per 1,000 head of population compared with other member states of the EU; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10679/95]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 133 and 134 together. The variety and complexity of policing arrangements in many European states makes it difficult to establish accurate comparisons in this regard. The following table which is based on a report published by the Centre for Study of Public Order at the University of Leicester compares the ratio of police to population in the principal police forces in the European Union in 1993. The figure for Ireland in that study was based on a strength of 10,500. However, the present strength of the Force is approximately 10,800 which represents a police to population ratio of approximately 1:326.
For a true comparison of relative manpower commitments to policing in other jurisdictions, it would also be necessary, of course, to take account of other relevant factors such as the overall level of crime in those jurisdictions.
Principal Police Forces in the EU — 1993
|
Country |
Number of population per police officer |
|
Belgium |
305 |
|
Denmark |
499 |
|
France |
247 |
|
Germany |
281 |
|
Greece |
261 |
|
Ireland |
337 |
|
Italy |
191 |
|
Luxembourg |
355 |
|
Netherlands |
301 |
|
Portugal |
220 |
|
Spain |
215 |
|
United Kingdom |
372 |
