Vol. 438 No. 5
124 Mr. Broughan asked the Minister for Justice if, in view of the fact that 55 per cent of indictable crime is carried out in the Dublin area according to the Garda Commissioner's report, he will ensure that the same proportion of gardaí and resources are assigned to the Dublin region.
I am informed by the Garda authorities, who are responsible for the detailed allocation of Garda manpower, that the current manpower in the DMA is 3,984. The total strength of the Force is 10,892. The Garda inform me that a number of factors are taken into con-sideration when deploying members of the Force. These factors would include the area to be covered and the particular type of crime that is prevalent in an area. It is not correct to conclude that optimum deployment of police resources is secured by matching the proportion of the Force assigned to a particular area with the proportion of overall crime attributed to the area.
I am in contact with the Garda authorities on a regular basis in relation to policing in Dublin, and they have informed me that the following measures and strategies have been implemented to improve law enforcement in the Dublin Metropolitan Area.
—The Garda authorities are intensifying their use of closely co-ordinated foot and mobile patrols and checkpoints, deployment of plainclothes surveillance units has been increased and there is greater targeting of Garda resources to meet specific anti-crime needs in particular areas.
—The ratio of police to population in the Dublin Metropolitan Area has been and will be maintained at 1 to 260 which compares favourably with the national average of 1 to 320.
—Continued emphasis will be placed on ensuring that there is adequate manpower deployment in the five Garda stations in the proximity of O'Connell Street (including the O'Connell Street itself) as well as other stations throughout the City. In this respect, an additional 50 gardaí will be assigned to the Dublin Metropolitan Area on 18 February next following graduation from the Garda College.
