Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 October 2019
238. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a website (details supplied) ranks Ireland as high for persons using or dealing drugs in its index of international crime rates and also in terms of increasing crime over the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42958/19]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the website referred to, numbeo.com, is a collaborative online database to which any person can input. It is not a source of official information or verified statistics.
In relation to crime statistics, the Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, is responsible for the compilation and publication of the official recorded crime statistics.
I can assure the Deputy that An Garda Síochána continues to prioritise tackling drugs and organised crime as a core focus of its work, including the continued disruption of the supply of all illicit drugs as a key priority.
Further, the resources provided by Government to An Garda Síochána have reached record levels, with an allocation for 2019 of €1.76 billion. I am also pleased to have secured an overall increase of €122 million to increase An Garda Síochána's budget for 2020 to an unprecedented €1.882 billion for next year, which will also allow for the recruitment of up to 700 new Gardaí and additional Garda staff next year. We now have over 14,200 Gardaí nationwide, supported by over 2,800 Garda staff. A programme of accelerated recruitment is ongoing with a view to reaching 15,000 Gardaí in an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 by 2021. The ongoing recruitment will provide the Commissioner with the resources needed to deploy increasing numbers of Gardaí to deliver a visible, effective and responsive policing service nationwide.
