Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 February 2023
502. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí by rank in each Garda station in the Dublin south west regional division as of 1 February 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9829/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including responsibility for the recruitment, training and deployment of Garda members among the various Garda Divisions. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.
I am however assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review. I am advised that this is considered in the context of crime trends and policing priorities, to ensure the optimum use of these resources.
I can also assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to deliver a modern, fit-for-purpose, policing service, with the unprecedented allocation provided in Budget 2023 of €2.14 billion.
Since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014 a total of 4,029 Garda members have attested, this includes the 369 Probationers who attested in 2022 and the 24 Probationers who attested on the 13 January 2023.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that at end January 2023, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 14,125 Garda members nationwide. This represents an increase of over 10% since end December 2015 when there were 12,816 Garda members nationwide.
I am further informed that the attached spreadsheet sets out the number of Garda members assigned to all the Divisions within in the DMR by District and station at 31 January 2023.
Please note that this information is based upon operational data which has been provided by An Garda Síochána and may be liable to change.
For the Deputy's information, detailed statistics on Garda workforce numbers are published on gov.ie and are updated regularly by my Department from information provided by An Garda Síochána. The statistics can be accessed using the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/bd777-an-garda-siochana-your-police-service-some-facts-and-figures/
