Jennifer Murnane O'Connor
Question:12. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Justice to provide an update on the number of Garda members assigned to the Carlow district. [8241/24]
View answerThursday, 22 February 2024
Questions (12)
Oral answers (8 contributions)
Will the Minister of State provide an update on the number of Garda members assigned to the Carlow district?
I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter regarding the number of Garda members assigned to the Carlow district. It is an issue she consistently raises in respect of Carlow and Kilkenny.
The unprecedented allocation of more than €2.35 billion for 2024 to An Garda Síochána demonstrates the Government's commitment to ensuring An Garda Síochána has provision for the equipment, technology, facilities, fleet and personnel it needs to carry out vital policing work. This funding allows for the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff. While the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including the deployment of Garda members throughout the State, I am assured Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of policing priorities and crime trends. I understand it is a matter for the divisional chief superintendent to determine the distribution of duties among the personnel available to them.
The Deputy may be aware there was very strong interest in the recent Garda recruitment campaign, with almost 6,400 people applying to become a member. The recruitment process is continuing to identify candidates to enter the Garda College over the coming period. Furthermore, the Garda Commissioner has confirmed he has requested the Public Appointments Service to undertake a Garda Reserve competition at the earliest possible date, which is envisaged to be in the coming weeks.
There are currently around 14,000 Garda members in the country. A total of 388 new gardaí attested in 2023 and were allocated to Garda stations nationwide, while 746 trainees entered Templemore in 2023, the highest number since 2018.
As of 31 December 2023, 101 Garda members had been assigned to the Carlow district. This comprised 82 gardaí, 15 sergeants, three inspectors and one superintendent. As of the same date, 312 Garda members assigned to the Kilkenny-Carlow division were working alongside 45 Garda staff. Garda staff play a vital role within the organisation, carrying out a variety of duties and helping to free up Garda members to focus on front-line policing duties.
I thank the Minister of State. In August 2023, it was reported that Carlow-Kilkenny Garda district had the third fewest Garda members per capita, at 312. Of these, only 107 Garda members are assigned to one of the six Carlow stations, down from 116 in 2017 and 113 in 2019. Additionally, only 15 Garda staff have been assigned to Carlow. Garda staff are essential in freeing gardaí from desk duties, allowing them to go back into our community. If we want to build stronger, safer communities, we need sufficient and sustained numbers of both Garda members and Garda staff. This has become a significant issue. We really are under-resourced, as I know because I work with the Garda very well and attend all the joint policing meetings every few months. I appreciate that the Minister of State always says this is not his remit, but Carlow needs more Garda members.
The Deputy deserves to be commended on continuing to fight the good cause for more Garda members for County Carlow. As I said, it is a matter for the Garda Commissioner, but I can say on behalf of the Government, the Department of Justice and the Minister that record funding is being provided and training to the maximum extent is being undertaken in Templemore. More gardaí are being recruited and as they graduate, they will be dispersed throughout the country. It is a matter for the Garda Commissioner but I have no doubt County Carlow will get its fair share of the number of gardaí it needs and deserves. We recognise that more gardaí are needed and we will continue to deliver them.
I welcome that. I understand 746 trainees entered Templemore last year, representing the highest intake to the Garda College since 2018, which is welcome. Even so, in 2020, ten graduates were assigned to the Carlow district but that fell to two graduates in 2021, five in 2022 and three in 2023. We really need to address this. I understand and welcome the ongoing recruitment campaign and we will, I hope, see higher numbers go into Templemore.
Everything is changing. The world is changing. The population of Carlow, according to the most recent census data, increased by 9%, which makes it one of the fastest growing counties in the country. We need more gardaí on the ground. Community policing has a huge role to play in the context of safety. As already stated, I can only compliment gardaí in Carlow on their great work. We need more of them, however.
Deputy Gould has a short supplementary question.
I will be brief. There are not enough gardaí in Cork either, and the figures show that. In 2022, there were 734 gardaí in the county. By December 2023, there were only 699. Cork got one additional garda from the group of recruits that came out of Templemore. There was a serious incident in my community on Tuesday night. Six gardaí responded but there were over 200 young people involved. It is getting to the stage where it is dangerous for gardaí. A member of An Garda Síochána asked a Sinn Féin public representative if the party could do anything to get more gardaí for Cork. Gardaí are under pressure and for the first time they are being targeted. The shortage of gardaí means that they are at risk. This is true not only of gardaí but also of ambulance drivers and fire fighters. We need more gardaí in Cork.
It is recognised that more gardaí are needed across the country. That is why there is a significant recruitment campaign taking place and why record levels of funding have been provided for to recruit gardaí and additional civilian staff to allow for the freeing up of more officers.
It is important to point out that probationary gardaí are not the only ones who go into counties. In some cases, a county may get very few probationary gardaí because additional experienced gardaí are being transferred in. We have to look at the number of gardaí going into a county in any one year in the round, not just at the numbers of probationary gardaí. Often, it is experienced gardaí that chief superintendents prefer. That said, we hear the Deputies and will continue with the significant recruitment campaign that is already happening.