Vol. 488 No. 6
23 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the projected cost of the new mounted section of the Garda Síochána; the purpose of the new unit; the locations where the unit will be deployed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6667/98]
32 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the projected cost of the new mounted section of the Garda Síochána; the purpose of the new unit; the locations where the unit will be deployed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6668/98]
52 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the projected cost of the new mounted section of the Garda Síochána; the purpose of the new unit; the locations where the unit will be deployed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6671/98]
72 Mr. Higgins (Mayo) asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the projected cost of the new mounted section of the Garda Síochána; the purpose of the new unit; the locations where the unit will be deployed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6672/98]
76 Mr. Crawford asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the projected cost of the new mounted section of the Garda Síochána; the purpose of the new unit; the locations where the unit will be deployed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6669/98]
79 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the progress, if any, regarding the provision of mounted police; the activities the horses are likely to be involved in; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6691/98]
93 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the projected cost of the new mounted section of the Garda Síochána; the purpose of the new unit; the locations where the unit will be deployed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6673/98]
121 Mr. McGahon asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the projected cost of the new mounted section of the Garda Síochana; the purpose of the new unit; the locations where the unit will be deployed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6666/98]
132 Mr. Boylan asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the projected cost of the new mounted section of the Garda Síochána; the purpose of the new unit; the locations where the unit will be deployed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6670/98]
166 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the costs involved in the provision of horses and the associated costs to the Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6819/98]
168 Mr. Callely asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his understanding of the benefits accruing from having a mounted police unit; the likely negative aspects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6836/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 23, 32, 52, 72, 76, 79, 93, 121, 132, 166 and 168 together.
A large number of police forces in the UK, continental Europe and the USA have found mounted police to be particularly effective in crowd control situations, high visibility policing and in community relations. The Garda authorities have looked at this issue in some depth and have strongly recommended the establishment of a mounted unit.
This question has been considered on a number of occasions previously. Establishing a full scale mounted unit could be costly and would take one to two years before it would be operational. For this reason, as this form of policing has not been tested within the State, there has been a reluctance in the past to proceed.
However, I have now decided to establish a small unit on a trial basis to establish if a mounted unit can make a cost effective contribution to policing in Irish conditions. To this end, negotiations have been entered into to purchase 4-7 trained police horses and the associated equipment for a pilot unit.
These negotiations have not yet been finalised so it is not possible to provide full costings. However, I can say that the purchase price of the police horses and equipment will be in the region of £20,000 to £30,000.
It will be at least one or two months before the new mounted unit is fully established, the riders trained in police tactics and the unit made operational. It will be deployed as a national unit and will undertake regular police patrolling, along with specialist functions pertinent to a police mounted unit.
The new unit will be assessed over a trial period and if successful it is envisaged that a full scale unit would be established and equipped with Irish horses.
