Vol. 400 No. 2
100 Mr. Creed asked the Minister for Justice, if he has satisfied himself with the command and control system installed in Dublin recently; if his attention has been drawn to the level of dissatisfaction amongst the Garda with the system; and if he will restore the old personal hand set radios as a back-up to the system.
I am satisfied that the Garda computerised command and control system for the Dublin Metropolitan Area is a completely up-to-date state-of-the-art police communications system which is of great benefit to the Force and to the public. Every aspect of it has been planned and tailor-made, in consultation with a wide range of Garda managers, to meet the very precisely defined needs of the Force. It combines radio communications and computer systems to record details of all reported incidents which require Garda attention and of the Garda response resources which are available at any particular time. It also contains a geographic file to assist Garda control room operators to assign the task of responding to a reported incident to the Garda mobile or foot patrol which is closest to the scene. The system is designed to ensure that the necessary response is as quick and efficient as possible and to enable Garda management to utilise their resources in the Dublin Metropolitan Area with maximum effectiveness by providing them with much greater control over Garda manpower and vehicles in the Dublin Metropolitan Area.
