Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 11 September 2023
1069. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice to outline the shortest, median and longest response times to emergency calls in each Garda division against any designated response time target; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37243/23]
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 responses by An Garda Síochána to emergency calls. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that An Garda Síochána operates a Regional Control Room strategy which ensures that Garda resources are available to respond to calls for service from the public, including situations where a local resource is not immediately available.
Calls for service, whether received through a local Garda station or the 999 ECAS system, are routed through the Regional Control Rooms and prioritised for response. Higher priority calls will always take priority over lower priority calls.
The Garda authorities also inform me that An Garda Síochána aim to answer 80% of 999 calls within seven seconds and deploy resources immediately giving an estimated time of arrival. An Garda Síochána will take appropriate steps to deal with all incidents and ensure that emergency and life threatening calls receive priority. They will endeavour to get to callers within 15 minutes in urban locations and as soon as possible, given the distance to be travelled, in more rural areas.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that the requested statistics relating to Garda response times for emergency call-outs throughout the country are not readily available at this time.
