Seán Crowe
Question:83 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans to make more gardaí available on the streets through civilianisation of Garda posts. [5085/05]
View answerWednesday, 16 February 2005
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Written answers
The position is that the Government increased the strength of the Garda Síochána from under 10,800 in 1997 to 11,750 by June 2002. We have since increased the strength of the force to an historical high of over 12,200. As regards civilianisation, which is but one aspect of making more gardaí available on the streets, the Department is currently, as a matter of priority, reviewing the position with both the Department of Finance and Garda management as to how it will proceed further with Garda civilianisation in the context of the overall constraints on civil and public service numbers.
In relation to Garda resources generally, I am pleased the Government has approved my proposal to increase the strength of the Garda Síochána to 14,000 members on a phased basis, in line with the An Agreed Programme for Government commitment in this regard. This is a key commitment in the programme for Government, and its implementation will significantly strengthen the operational capacity of the force.
A new recruitment campaign for the Garda Síochána was launched on Thursday, 25 November 2004 and over 10,500 applications were received. For the period 2005 to 2007, around 274 recruits will be taken into the college every quarter. The intake of this first tranche of 274 students to the Garda college took place on 7 February 2005 and arrangements are in place for the current recruitment competition to be progressed further so as to provide for the second intake of 274 students on 3 May this year. It is estimated that 523 Garda trainees will become attested members of the force in 2005. Taking into account the projected number of retirements, the new recruitment drive will lead to a combined organisational strength, of both attested gardaí and recruits in training, of 14,000 as early as end 2006.
The commissioner will now be drawing up plans on how best to distribute and manage these additional resources. Clearly, the additional resources will be targeted at the areas of greatest need, as is envisaged in the programme for Government. The programme identifies, in particular, areas with a significant drugs problem and a large number of public order offences, but it will be possible to address other priorities as well, such as the need to very significantly increase the number of gardaí allocated to traffic duties as part of the new Garda traffic corps. I have already promised that the additional gardaí will not be put on administrative duties. They will be put directly into frontline, operational, high-visibility policing. They will have a real impact.