Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 May 2016
92. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of members of An Garda Síochána who were transferred to a new division in each of the years 2011 to 2016 to date; the extent to which this occurred because of the Garda Commissioner's policing plan, changing demographics and crime trends; the difficulties in transferring gardaí between divisions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11775/16]
View answerAs the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and Districts and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review.
I have been informed by the Garda Commissioner that the information requested is not readily available and An Garda Síochána is not in a position to provide the information as it would require a disproportionate amount of Garda time and resources to collate the data requested. I am further informed that in regard to the deployment of Garda personnel, a distribution model is used which takes into account all relevant factors including population, crime trends and the policing needs of each individual Division. It is the responsibility of the Divisional Officer to allocate personnel within his/her Division.
