Róisín Shortall
Question:120. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí deployed by Garda division further to the recent announcement of the deployment of newly qualified gardaí. [24816/19]
View answerThursday, 13 June 2019
Questions (120)
Written answers
As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for managing An Garda Síochána, including personnel matters, and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps the 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 am informed by the Commissioner that the Cohort Model of resource allocation is currently utilised for the allocation of personnel within An Garda Síochána, including newly attested probationer Gardaí from the Garda College. Using this model, the allocation and transfer of Garda Personnel is determined by a number of factors, including crime and non-crime workload, minimum establishment, population, area, policing arrangements, and operational strategies. When considering the allocation of resources to a Division, comprehensive consultation is carried out with local Garda management during which all factors are taken into consideration.
In relation to the allocation of newly attested Gardaí, it is important to keep in mind that they have a further 16 months of practical and class-room based training to complete in order to receive their BA in Applied Policing. To ensure that they are properly supported and supervised and have opportunities to gain the breadth of policing experience required, the Commissioner's policy is to allocate them to specially designated training stations which have the required training and development structures and resources in place, including trained Garda tutors and access to a permanently appointed supervisory Sergeant who is thoroughly familiar with their responsibilities under the training programme.
I am further informed by the Commissioner that while not all Garda Stations are training stations, the allocation of probationer Gardaí to a Divisional training station facilitates the reassignment of Gardaí to other stations within the Division, if required, by the Divisional Officer.
The information in relation to the number of new recruits allocated by Division on 7th June 2019 is as set out in the table, as supplied by the Commissioner.
I have been assured by the Garda Commissioner that the level of recruitment of Garda members planned for 2019 will ensure that the Government's commitment to increasing the strength of An Garda Síochána to 15,000 Garda members by 2021 will be achieved.
Since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, almost 2,800 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána. This has seen an increase in the number of Garda members to just over 14,000 at the end of 2018, a net increase of over 1,000 since the end of 2016.
The Government has increased the budget for An Garda Síochána to €1.76 billion for 2019, including provision for the recruitment of new Gardaí and Garda Staff this year. The Garda Commissioner has informed me that he intends to recruit a total of 600 trainee Gardaí in 2019 and a net 600 Garda 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. This is in addition to the approximately 260 Gardaí redeployed from administrative to front line duties by the end of 2018.
The Garda strength by Division from 2009 to 30 April 2019 , as provided by the Commissioner, is available on my Department’s website through the following link.http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/003_Garda_Numbers_by_Division_2006_to_April_%202019.xlsx/Files/003_Garda_Numbers_by_Division_2006_to_April_%202019.xlsx
For 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
Divisional Allocations - as at 7th June 2019
|
DIVISION |
TRAINING STATION |
Training station breakdown |
Divisional Total allocation at 7/6/2019 |
|
DMR East |
Blackrock |
1 |
|
|
Dun Laoghaire |
4 |
||
|
Dundrum |
4 |
9 |
|
|
DMR North |
Ballymun |
5 |
|
|
Balbriggan |
5 |
||
|
Clontarf |
4 |
||
|
Coolock |
5 |
||
|
Raheny |
5 |
||
|
Swords |
4 |
28 |
|
|
DMR Nth Central |
Bridewell |
2 |
|
|
Mountjoy |
3 |
||
|
|
Store St |
5 |
10 |
|
DMR South |
Rathfarnham |
4 |
|
|
Rathmines |
3 |
||
|
Sundrive Rd |
3 |
||
|
Tallaght |
14 |
||
|
Terenure |
2 |
26 |
|
|
DMR Sth Central |
Irishtown |
3 |
|
|
Kevin St |
3 |
||
|
Kilmainham |
6 |
||
|
Pearse St |
13 |
||
|
Donnybrook |
3 |
28 |
|
|
DMR West |
Ballyfermot |
5 |
|
|
Blanchardstown |
7 |
||
|
Clondalkin |
4 |
||
|
Finglas |
7 |
||
|
Lucan |
2 |
||
|
Ronanstown |
2 |
27 |
|
|
Meath |
Ashbourne |
5 |
|
|
Navan |
3 |
||
|
Trim |
2 |
10 |
|
|
Waterford |
Waterford |
4 |
4 |
|
Galway |
Galway |
9 |
9 |
|
Cavan/Monaghan |
Cavan |
4 |
|
|
Monaghan |
|||
|
Carrickmacross |
3 |
||
|
Bailieboro |
3 |
10 |
|
|
Louth |
Drogheda |
25 |
|
|
Dundalk |
3 |
||
|
Ardee |
2 |
30 |
|
|
Donegal |
Letterkenny |
3 |
|
|
Buncrana |
3 |
||
|
Ballyshannon |
2 |
||
|
Milford |
2 |
10 |
|
|
Total |
201 |