Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 January 2021
444. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí in the Dublin metropolitan region annually on 1 January in each of the years 2016 to 2021, by rank and station in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2953/21]
View answerAn Garda Síochána has been allocated an unprecedented budget of €1.952 billion for 2021. The significant level of funding provided over recent years is enabling sustained, ongoing recruitment of Garda members and staff. As a result, there are now over 14,600 Garda members and over 3,000 Garda staff nationwide.
Budget 2021 will allow for the recruitment of up to 620 new Gardaí and an extra 500 Garda staff. The Budget allocation also provides for an increase in supervisory ranks at Sergeant and Inspector level.
More Garda recruits and more Garda staff means extra members of the service on the frontline and in specialist units battling organised crime groups, supporting victims, and keeping people safe.
The Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the management of An Garda Síochána, including personnel matters and deployment of resources. As Minister, I have no role in decisions on such matters. I am assured, 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 detailed breakdown of Garda numbers by Division, District and Station is available on my Department’s website, in the interests of transparency and for the convenience of Deputies and the wider public. This information is updated every month with the latest data provided by An Garda Síochána. The Information on Garda members requested for the years 2016 to 2019 may be accessed at the following link:
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Garda_Workforce
I am informed by the Garda authorities that figures for the number of Gardaí in the Dublin Metropolitan Region on 31 December 2020, which are not yet published on the website, are shown in the attached table.
