Vol. 568 No. 1
664 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there are only four motorbike gardaí at any time in Dublin; and his plans to deal with this problem. [15396/03]
I have been informed by the Garda authorities, who are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources including personnel, that throughout the Dublin metropolitan region, each of the six Garda divisions and the regional traffic division have dedicated traffic units operating primarily on motorcycles. The six divisional traffic units work the following shifts – 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. These members focus their attention on traffic management during rush hour from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. – Operation Artery. The six Garda divisions provide 26 motorcyclists on average each morning and afternoon. All the above members on the late shift remain operational until 7 p.m. each evening on traffic management duties. A reduced number of motorcyclists remain on duty until 11 p.m., Monday to Friday. Divisional traffic members also perform duty on Operation Lifesaver at weekends between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m.
In addition to the personnel provided by the six Garda divisions, the regional traffic division operates during the following hours: 6.30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. and 1.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. The commitment to Operation Artery is 18 motorcyclists and two jeeps morning and evening and this commitment is consistently met. All the regional traffic division members on the late shift remain operational until 7 p.m. each evening on traffic management duties. A reduced number of motorcyclists operate on night shift between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m.
