Peadar Tóibín
Question:668. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí who have been employed in the roads policing unit in each county in each of the past ten years. [39485/23]
View answerWednesday, 20 September 2023
Questions (668, 710)
Catherine Murphy
Question:710. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice the number of Garda members in each roads policing unit, by Garda division, in 2022 and to date in 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40463/23]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 668 and 710 together.
The Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and a strengthened, well-resourced Garda Síochána is central to this policy. This commitment is demonstrated by the unprecedented allocation of over €2 billion to the Garda Vote this year, which is allowing for sustained and ongoing recruitment and investment in new equipment and new vehicles.
This level of funding provides for a steady pipeline of new Gardaí in the coming years, supporting the recruitment of up to 1,000 Gardaí and 400 additional Garda staff this year, with new recruits to enter the Garda College approximately every 11 weeks.
As 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 for the recruitment, training and deployment of Garda members. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.
I am however assured that the Commissioner keeps the allocation of these resources under continued review, in line with crime and population trends, to ensure their optimum use.
To be of assistance I sought the information requested by the Deputy from An Garda Síochána and have been advised that at the end of August 2023, the latest date for when figures are available, there were 659 Garda members, which includes 588 Gardaí and 65 Sergeants and 6 Inspectors, assigned to roads policing duty nationwide.
The following table sets out the number of Garda members assigned to roads policing duty by Division from the end of December 2014 up to the end of December 2022, and at the end of August 2023. This information is based upon operational data which has been provided by An Garda Síochána and may be subject to change.
In the interest of transparency, detailed statistics on Garda workforce numbers, including a breakdown by Garda station and Garda rank, 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/
Please note that this information is operational and may be subject to change.