Jim O'Callaghan
Question:434. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí, by rank, attached to the divisional drugs unit as of 9 January 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [2506/24]
View answerTuesday, 23 January 2024
Questions (434)
Written answers
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, as well as for decisions on the deployment of personnel among the various Garda Divisions. As Minister, I have no role in these matters.
I am assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review, in the context of crime trends and policing priorities.
The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to fight crime. Budget 2024 provides a budget of €2.3 billion to An Garda Síochána – this is a 23% increase since 2020. This funding will allow for the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff.
There are currently around 14,000 Garda members across the country. This represents an increase of around 9% since 2015. 388 new Gardaí attested in 2023 and were allocated to Garda stations nationwide. The Deputy may also be interested to know that 746 trainee Gardaí entered Templemore in 2023, the highest number to enter Templemore since 2018.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that at the end of December 2023, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 326 Garda members assigned to Divisional Drugs Units nationwide, this includes 278 Gardaí, 42 Sergeants and 6 Inspectors. This represents an increase of 41% since the end of December 2019 when there were 231 Garda members assigned to these units.
For the Deputy's information, detailed statistics on Garda workforce numbers are published on my Department's website and 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 based upon operational data which has been provided by An Garda Síochána and may be liable to change.