An Garda Síochána

Tuesday, 27 June 2023

Questions (482)

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

Question:

482. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Justice the number of designated community gardaí in Carlow in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31117/23]

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Written answers

Minister for Justice

I want to emphasise 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.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the management of An Garda Síochána, including the distribution of Garda members between the different Garda units and Divisions. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.

The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and a strengthened, well-resourced Garda Síochána is central to this policy. Funding has been provided for up to 1,000 new Gardaí this year and we are seeing more Garda recruits enter Templemore every 11 weeks.

I am advised by the Garda authorities that a member of An Garda Síochána can be deemed to be a ‘Community Garda’ where that member is allocated to a Community Policing Team (CPT) and is responsible and accountable for applying a problem–solving approach to appropriate crime and policing quality of life issues in a specified geographic area through partnership and engagement. In some rural areas, the existing personnel will form CPTs. They will have dual functions as first responders and community policing members. Additionally, CPTs will be augmented by Community Support Gardaí who will perform frontline duties and will be assigned a particular Community Policing Area to support a dedicated Community Garda.

I am informed that each Division will have a number of CPTs assigned to it, consisting of an Inspector, Sergeant and Community Policing Gardaí. CPTs will prioritise engagement with communities for the delivery of long-term sustainable solutions to community needs.

I can inform the Deputy that at end May 2023, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 87 Community Gardaí assigned to Kilkenny/Carlow Division. The table below which has been provided to me by the Garda authorities breaks down these community Gardaí by station.

Kilkenny/Carlow Division	Number of Community Gardaí
Ballon	1
Ballyhale	1
Borris	1
Callan	2
Carlow	3
Castlecomer	5
Freshford	1
Glenmore	1
Goresbridge	1
Graiguenamanagh	4
Hacketstown	1
Kilkenny	10
Kilmoganny	1
Mooncoin	4
Muinebheag	10
Mullinavat	1
Myshall	0
Piltown	1
Rathvilly	1
Stoneyford	1
Thomastown	26
Tullow	8
Urlingford	3
Total	87

Community policing is fundamental to the new Garda Operating Model recommended by the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland and currently being rolled out under 'A Policing Service for Our Future', the Government's implementation plan for the Commission's recommendations.

The new Operating Model is currently being rolled out in all divisions and is fully commenced in six - Dublin South Central, Cork City, Kerry, Galway, Limerick and Mayo-Roscommon-Longford. For these divisions it means:

• Districts replaced with Community Engagement Functional Areas,

• Crime Functional Area established in each Division,

• All personnel aligned to a Functional Area, and

• Garda Stations aligned to Community Engagement Functional Areas.

However, community safety is not just about the number of Gardaí in communities. Community safety is a whole of Government responsibility and it requires a multi-agency approach.

The Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill will place statutory obligations on Departments and other public service bodies to cooperate with each other to improve community safety. It also establishes national structures to provide strategic direction and ensure that collaboration is working, and establishes Local Community Safety Partnerships (LCSPs), which will replace existing Joint Policing Committees.