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An Garda Síochána

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 February 2022

Thursday, 17 February 2022

Questions (95)

Alan Dillon

Question:

95. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Justice if budget 2022 provides for additional community gardaí in County Mayo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8677/22]

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Oral answers (6 contributions)

We need to take progressive actions now to build safer and stronger communities by building relationships with local communities and civic society groups. It is the way forward for An Garda Síochána to ensure that people feel safe in their communities. It ask the Minister to outline the plans to increase the number of gardaí assigned to community policing in counties such as Mayo.

The Government and I are committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs. As I have said many times today, the unprecedented allocation provided, in budget 2022, of in excess of €2 billion reflects that. This includes funding for the recruitment of up to an additional 800 Garda members and up to 400 Garda staff. It should be noted that many of the Garda members to be recruited will be drawn from the Garda recruitment competition which opened last week. More than 800 Garda members have also been redeployed in recent years from administrative duties - working in offices but doing important work - to front-line policing duties where their expertise can be utilised fully. The civilian Garda staff are taking over those roles.

As the Deputy will be aware, in accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, which includes decisions on the deployment of personnel among the various Garda divisions. I am assured by the Commissioner and his team that they keep the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of policing priorities and crime trends, to ensure their optimum use. I understand that it is a matter for the divisional chief superintendent to determine the optimum distribution of duties among the personnel available to them, having regard to the profile of each area, the division and its specific needs.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that on 31 January 2022, the latest date for which figures are available, a total of 12 community gardaí were assigned to the Mayo division. The Deputy may wish to further note that the total number of gardaí assigned to the Mayo division as of 31 January 2022 is 331, which represents an increase of over 9% on the numbers allocated to the division in 2015. The Deputy will also be glad to note that Garda staff levels have also increased significantly in the Mayo division over the same period, with an increase of 70% from 33 in December 2015 to 56 as of December 2021.

To date, the official categorisation as a community garda has simply referred to those who are exclusively assigned to building relationships with local communities and civil society, including giving talks to schools, community groups and others. However, it is important to note that community policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána and that all gardaí have a role to play in community policing in the course of carrying out their duties.

I thank the Minister for her response. It was excellent to note, in budget 2022, the provision for the recruitment of over 800 new gardaí and 400 Garda staff. I very much welcome that. I note that the ongoing recruitment campaign that is under way is being well advertised and is progressing well to date. With the development of the new strategy statement for the period 2022 to 2024, now is the ideal time for An Garda Síochána to commit to increased community policing. As many Deputies have referenced previously, we need to strengthen the visibility of gardaí on the ground and ensure that we have the policing numbers not just in urban areas, but also in rural areas. It is probably not sufficient to have 12 assigned community police officers covering a large geographical area in County Mayo. We need to increase that. I ask that it is enhanced and that An Garda Síochána works with different community groups and organisations that have advocated for it. I am aware that it is one of the Minister's commitments as a Deputy representing a rural constituency. I would appreciate any support on the matter.

While they have a title, and it is important to acknowledge that the community gardaí and the specific work that they do, what we have seen throughout Covid-19 and the last two years is that every member of An Garda Síochána is essentially a community garda. The work they do is about responding to crime, needs and incidents as they arise, but it is also about outreach. It is about actively and proactively engaging with community at every level. It is important that we have gardaí specifically designated and designed to reach out, for example, to our elderly and younger populations and to engage with schools and community groups. I can think of a number of gardaí in my own county who are known the length and breadth of the county for they work that they do specifically with community groups. We must also remember that there is a focus on community at the heart of policing. It is important to stress that the new divisional model will include a division where gardaí will be focusing specifically on the area of community. As those divisional models are rolled out, I have no doubt that whether it is in County Mayo or any other part of the country, we will see an increase in those numbers.

Certainly, we do have a great community policing unit in County Mayo. It does a great deal in the context of facilitating an informal interaction with gardaí. It goes a long way to addressing some of the antisocial behaviour. It is good to hear that the distribution of resources is under continuous review. Looking at some of the rural towns in County Mayo, such as Claremorris and Ballinrobe, we have seen population increases as a result of the pandemic, where people have moved from urban areas back into rural communities.

I hope that as we move forward with this recruitment campaign, more resources can be directed into community policing. I know this will have a significant impact on rural communities and constituencies such as Mayo.

The Deputy makes a valid point. In the past year, several close friends of mine have moved out of cities back home to rural areas. I refer to the work the Garda Commissioner is doing in considering resources, where they are needed and how there has been a change in the numbers in communities. That is reflected in how Garda numbers are deployed and redeployed. I have no doubt that when the 800 new recruits are deployed across the country, those changes in populations and demographics will be taken into account, as will issues that arise in certain areas. There has been a very quick response to such issues. When particular types of crime or trends increase in certain areas, there is an immediate response. The more gardaí the Garda Commissioner has at his disposal, the easier it is for him to do that. It also comes down to the resources we provide to the Garda in rural areas in particular. It is about making sure we have the gardaí we need and that they have the equipment and technology they require to do their job as efficiently and effectively as possible.

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