Bernard Durkan
Question:148. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the strength of An Garda Síochána at the latest stage of audit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48163/19]
View answerWednesday, 20 November 2019
Questions (148)
Written answers
Under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 as amended, the Garda Commissioner has responsibility for management of An Garda Síochána and for the allocation and efficient use of Garda resources. This includes responsibility for deployment of personnel. As Minister I have no direct role in 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.
A record €1.76 billion was allocated to the Garda Vote for 2019 and this is increasing to an unprecedented €1.882 billion for 2020. With the benefit of this sustained investment, An Garda Síochána is a growing organisation.
We currently have approximately 14,200 Gardaí nationwide, supported by over 2,900 Garda staff. And as part of the Government’s plan to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021, there is ongoing and increased recruitment both of new Gardaí as well as Garda staff, allowing for redeployment of Gardaí to operational duties at the front-line. Since the reopening of the Garda Training College in 2014, approximately 2,800 new Garda members have attested and been assigned to frontline policing duties in communities throughout the country. Another 200 probationer Gardaí are due to attest at the end of this month.
A breakdown of Garda numbers is available on my Department’s website and is updated every month with the latest data provided by An Garda Síochána. This information is available at the following link:
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/002_Garda_Numbers_by_Division_District_and_Station_2009_to_September_2019.xlsx/Files/002_Garda_Numbers_by_Division_District_and_Station_2009_to_September_2019.xlsx
Information on Garda staff is available at the following link:
http://justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Garda_Staff
For more general information on the Garda workforce and additional Garda facts and figures, the Deputy may also wish to see the information on the links below:
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Garda_Workforce
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/An_Garda_Siochana_facts_and_figures