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Garda Strength

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 October 2018

Thursday, 18 October 2018

Questions (173)

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

173. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to ensure that sufficient resources are provided to An Garda Síochána to maintain a fully trained complement of 54 forensic collision investigators nationwide at all times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43143/18]

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Written answers

As the Deputy will be aware it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter.

Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is made of these resources. I do not politically interfere in policing matters nor direct the Commissioner where to deploy resources.

I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that a forensic collision investigator, FCIs, attends the scene of every fatal road traffic collision and every collision where information indicates that there is a likelihood of a fatality resulting from such collision. I am further advised by the Commissioner that FCIs are responsible for carrying out examinations at scenes of road traffic collisions including recording and evaluating all available evidence. Forensic collisions investigators are strategically deployed within the Garda divisional roads policing units throughout the country.

I am also informed that that following an internal Garda competition for assignment to FCI duties 11 successful candidates have completed their initial training and are working alongside divisional roads policing units. It takes 18 months to be fully trained as a FCI. It is expected that there will be further assignments to FCI duties from this competition in early 2019.

I am pleased that I secured sufficient funding in the Budget to provide for the recruitment of another 800 new Garda recruits in 2018, which will ensure that the planned Garda strength of 15,000 by 2021 remains on course.

This focus on investment in personnel is critical. The moratorium on recruitment introduced in 2010 resulted in a significant reduction in the strength of An Garda Síochána. We are now rebuilding the organisation and providing the Commissioner with the resources needed to deploy increasing numbers of Gardaí across the organisation including roads policing in the coming years.

This investment in personnel is complemented by substantial investment in resources across the board for An Garda Síochána. The Deputy will be aware of the significant resources that have been made available to An Garda Síochána under the Government's Capital Plan 2016 - 2021. In particular, some €205 million in additional funding for Garda ICT and €46 million for new Garda vehicles has been allocated over the lifetime of the plan. This investment will facilitate the provision of more effective policing services.

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