Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 July 2020
195. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will consider a pilot project in County Cork to trial transport police to stem antisocial behaviour on buses and commuter train services. [17711/20]
View answerThe Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the administration and business of An Garda Síochána, including personnel matters and deployment of Garda resources. I am assured however that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in light of operational demand, to ensure their optimum use.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that it is not proposed to establish a specialist or dedicated public transport policing unit in County Cork or anywhere else in the country at this time. Instead, Gardaí deploy a wide range of operational measures aimed at tackling public-order offences and anti-social behaviour in all contexts, including the policing needs of the rail or transport network and its stakeholders. The legal framework that assists the Gardaí in tackling this type of crime includes provisions under the Criminal Damage Act 1991; the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994; the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 2003; and the Intoxicating Liquor Acts 2003 and 2008.
In terms of safety on public transport, I understand that Garda management engages with transport operators and that a range of regional and local operations have been put in place to address incidents and issues that have arisen at specific locations. I am further informed that there is ongoing communication between An Garda Síochána and the respective control centres, and access to good quality CCTV can provide assistance to Gardaí when investigating serious incidents.
An Garda Síochána has been allocated an unprecedented budget of €1.88 billion for 2020, as well as capital funding of over €116 million for this year. 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. Garda numbers are now at their highest ever, with approximately 14,700 members and almost 3,000 Garda staff nationwide. These additional resources will further strengthen An Garda Síochána’s response to all forms of crime, including that which takes place on public transport.
With specific regards to Cork, I am further advised by An Garda Síochána that as of 30 June 2020, the latest date for which figures are available, there are 730 Garda members in the Cork City Division, 357 in the Cork North Division and 312 Garda members in the Cork West Division.
In addition, Garda Civilian Staff figures for County Cork on 30 June 2020 show 112 Staff for the Cork City Division, 34 Staff for the Cork North Division and 35 Staff for the Cork West Division.
