Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 January 2019
70. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí in County Donegal in each of the past ten years; his plans to allocate additional resources to County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4171/19]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the manner in which the resources of the Garda Síochána are deployed is solely a matter for the Garda Commissioner and his management team and I, as Minister, have no direct role in this regard. I am informed by the Commissioner that 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 resources.
Since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, just under 2,400 recruits have attested as members and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide, including the 800 trainees who passed out from the college during 2018.
The Government has increased the budget for An Garda Síochána to €1.76 billion for 2019, which includes provision for the recruitment of up to 800 Gardaí this year. The Commissioner has now informed me that he plans to recruit a total of 600 trainee Gardaí in 2019 and, in addition, it is his intention to recruit a net 600 Garda Civilian Staff. This Garda Staff recruitment will allow the Commissioner to redeploy a further 500 fully trained Gardaí from administrative duties to frontline policing in 2019.
The Garda Commissioner has confirmed that the Government’s commitment to increase the overall strength of An Garda Síochána to 15,000 Garda members will be achieved by the target date of 2021. The Government fully supports the Commissioner’s management decision which will ensure that increasing numbers of Gardaí are available for frontline duties in the prevention and detection of criminal activity in 2019 and beyond.
In keeping with Government policy, there are no plans to provide for a hard border on the island but Brexit increases the risk that dissidents and criminals may seek to undermine peace on the island and engage in general illegal cross border activities. As part of the ongoing increase in Garda resources, the Commissioner has deployed a number of additional Gardaí to border counties, including Donegal, in recent months and this will continue.
In the event that a “no deal” Brexit gives rise to additional requirements in border areas, further resources can be provided through normal deployment. These requirements will be kept under ongoing review by Garda management and detailed consideration given in due course to the medium to long-term implications.
The Garda strength of the Donegal Division from 2009 up to 31 December 2018, as provided by the Garda Commissioner, is available on my Department’s website through the following links. http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/002_Garda_Numbers_by_Division_District_and%20Station_2009_to_30_December_2018.xlsx/Files/002_Garda_Numbers_by_Division_District_and%20Station_2009_to_30_December_2018.xlsx
For additional and more general information on Garda Facts and Figures please see the following link: http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/An_Garda_Siochana_facts_and_figures
