Eoghan Murphy
Question:604. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the total increase in the number of active gardaí over the past four months. [17335/20]
View answerTuesday, 21 July 2020
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Written answers
The Deputy will be aware that 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 personnel matters and the distribution of personnel across the various Garda Divisions. 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.
The resources provided to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation for 2020 of €1.88 billion. This level of funding is enabling sustained, ongoing recruitment of Garda members and staff and as a result, An Garda Síochána is a growing organisation.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that as at 30 June 2020, there were approximately 14,700 Garda members nationwide, supported by over 3,000 Garda staff and these numbers are continuing to grow. This figure includes the Garda trainees from two separate intake classes who attested earlier than scheduled, in March 2020, which was an operational decision taken by the Garda Commissioner in order to augment An Garda Síochána's capacity to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The information on the increase in Garda numbers requested by the Deputy is available on my Department’s website at the following link:
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Garda_Workforce