Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 November 2019
249. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí permanently attached to specialist units and or sections by rank; the number of full-time civilian staff attached to specialist units and or sections in An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47124/19]
View answerA record €1.76 billion was allocated to the Garda Vote for 2019, as well as capital investment amounting to €92 million this year. I am pleased to have secured an overall increase of €122 million to increase An Garda Síochána budget for 2020 to an unprecedented €1.882 billion for next year.
The Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the management of An Garda Síochána and the allocation of these resources, including personnel matters. As Minister, I have no responsibility for these matters. I understand 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 following table, as provided to me by the Garda authorities, sets out the number of Gardaí assigned to CAB, the Economic Crime Bureau and Roads Policing Units. I hope the Deputy will appreciate that, for security and operational reasons, the strength of a number of specialist units, including SDU, ERU and NBCI cannot be provided. Similarly, a breakdown of civilian staff assigned to these units is not available.
|
Chief Super. |
Super. |
Inspector |
Sergeant |
|
|
Criminal Assets Bureau |
1 |
1 |
2 |
6 |
|
National Economic Crime Bureau |
1 |
2 |
3 |
10 |
In relation to Operation Thor, as referred to by the Deputy in the additional clarification provided to my Department, I would confirm that this is a national multi-strand anti-crime initiative. It involves a broad range of measures to tackle burglary and property related crime and actively targets organised crime gangs and repeat offenders and as such is not a defined unit.
Information in relation to the allocation of Garda resources to Roads Policing Unit can be found through the link below:
www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Roads_Policing_Unit.
Additional information on Garda Resources can be found at the link below:
www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/An_Garda_Siochana_facts_and_figures.
