Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 6 September 2019
681. Deputy John Curran asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Garda marked and unmarked cars and vehicles assigned to each Dublin Garda division; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36571/19]
View answerThe resources provided by Government to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation for 2019 of €1.76 billion. Very significant capital investment is also being made in An Garda Síochána, including a total of €46 million for investment in the Garda fleet between 2016 and 2021. This continuing investment is intended to ensure that An Garda Síochána can be mobile, visible and responsive on the roads and in the community to prevent and tackle crime.
The Deputy may also wish to be aware that a capital allocation of €10 million has been made available for the purchase and fit-out of Garda vehicles in 2019. I understand from the Garda authorities that this allocation will be used for purchase and fit-out of over 300 new vehicles for operational use this year.
As the Deputy will appreciate, in accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005 as amended, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling the administration and business of An Garda Síochána. Further, the allocation of Garda resources is a matter for the Commissioner, in light of identified operational demands. This includes responsibility for the allocation of Garda vehicles among the various Garda divisions. As Minister, I have no role in these matters. I am assured, however, that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities to ensure their optimum use.
The information below, as provided to me by the Garda Commissioner, sets out the number of vehicles allocated to the Dublin Metropolitan Region as at 31 July 2019. For security and operational reasons, these tables do not include a breakdown between marked and unmarked vehicle allocations. It should be noted that the following table includes detail on the Divisions in the DMR, as well as the Traffic unit based in Dublin Castle (which is not itself a Garda Division). This table does not include detail in relation to National Units including those located in the region.
|
Vehicle |
Cars |
Vans |
Motorcyles |
4x4 |
Other |
Total |
|
DMR incl. Traffic (Total as of 31/07/2019) |
358 |
77 |
47 |
11 |
19 |
512 |
|
Eastern Division |
44 |
9 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
56 |
|
Northern Division |
78 |
13 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
96 |
|
North Central Division |
45 |
11 |
0 |
3 |
1 |
60 |
|
Southern Division |
58 |
17 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
77 |
|
South Central Division |
48 |
13 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
63 |
|
Western Division |
68 |
13 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
88 |
|
Traffic - Dublin Castle |
17 |
1 |
47 |
4 |
3 |
72 |
