Peadar Tóibín
Question:561. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of times the Garda armed response unit has been dispatched in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022. [58962/22]
View answerTuesday, 29 November 2022
Questions (561)
Written answers
I have sought the information requested by the Deputy from An Garda Síochána. Regrettably this information was not available in time and I will write to the Deputy again once it is to hand.
The following deferred reply was received under Standing Order 51
I refer to Parliamentary Question No. 561 of 29 November 2022 where you sought:
“The number of times the Garda armed response unit has been dispatched in each of the past ten years and to date in 2022.”
As you will recall, Minister McEntee sought the information you requested from the Garda authorities and undertook to contact you again once the information was to hand.
As you are aware, in accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for carrying on and managing and controlling generally the administration and business of An Garda Síochána. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that armed support assets or personnel are deployed by An Garda Síochána in a number of different methods / formats namely:
- as operational armed support patrols;
- as dedicated pre-planned operations;
- attending spontaneous incidents; and
- attending hostage, barricade and suicidal (HBS) incidents which incorporates a deployment capacity of tactically trained Gardaí specialised in the area of lethal and less-lethal firearm capabilities – i.e. a tactical specialised resource capability regarding the threat or use of firearms in order to professionally combat same within the policing environs.
I am informed that the establishment of Regional Armed Support Units commenced in 2012 in order to augment the capacity and capabilities of the Emergency Response Unit (An Garda Síochána’s National Firearms Unit) and its associated regionalised centres on an incremental basis (as per dependency on operational requirements and resource availability).
I am advised that the CAD system is an electronic command and control process for the management of policing resources. The current operational Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system does not currently have a data retrieval function that provides statistical data of this nature.
I am further advised that a significant and disproportionate amount of Garda resources would be required to fulfil your request for data for the period requested and that, in light of the complexities outlined above, An Garda Síochána is not in a position to provide the information you have sought.
I am informed that it is envisaged the procurement and installation of the new Computer Aided Dispatch System in 2023 by An Garda Síochána will address such deficits in the current operational system from a statistical perspective.
I hope that this information is of assistance.