Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 March 2021
680. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Justice the number of Garda roads policing vans that came into the fleet in each of the years 2017 to 2020; and the number of roads policing vans withdrawn during this period. [11562/21]
View answerThe Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the management of An Garda Síochána and deployment of resources. This includes responsibility for personnel matters and the distribution of personnel across the various Garda Divisions, including Roads Policing Units. As Minister, I have no role in these 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. I am advised that the responsibility for the efficient deployment of all official Garda vehicles in each Division is assigned to the Divisional Officer, who may allocate vehicles between Stations as required by operational circumstances.
The Garda Commissioner established the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau to ensure a consistent approach to road safety and enforcement of road traffic legislation across the country. This is achieved through coordination of enforcement and development of policy based on research and analysis of statistics and by engaging in campaigns in partnership with other State agencies.
I understand that in addition to a focus on the lifesaver offences of speeding, seatbelts, mobile phones and driving under the influence, Divisional Roads Policing Units work closely with other relevant Divisional Units to target known criminals and to disrupt their activities through strict enforcement of road traffic legislation.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that the table below sets out the number of roads policing vans allocated to and removed from the Garda Fleet for the years requested by the Deputy.
|
Year |
Allocated |
Removed |
|
2017 |
0 |
7 |
|
2018 |
0 |
4 |
|
2019 |
0 |
0 |
|
2020 |
0 |
0 |
Separately, I am informed by the Garda authorities that there are 3 vans attached to Roads Policing Duty at 26 February 2021.
