Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 2 Apr 1996

Vol. 463 No. 6

Written Answers. - Drop in Garda Numbers.

Máirín Quill

Ceist:

83 Miss Quill asked the Minister for Justice if the strength of the Garda has dropped by approximately 200 from 10,959 to 10,751 since December 1992; the ranks which have been affected by this drop; and the proposals, if any, she has to deal with the depletion of the Force. [7076/96]

Minister for Justice (Mrs. Owen)

The strength of the Garda Síochána was 10,744 on 28 March 1996 compared to 10,984 on 31 December 1992. The drop in numbers has affected mainly the garda rank.

I recruited 350 gardaí last year, and will recruit the same number this year and next, but they will not immediately make up the shortfalls. Retirements have been higher than normal in recent years for exceptional reasons e.g. in response to the added pensionability of unsocial hours payments and the ending of the temporary extension from 57 to 60 of the retirement age.

However, a fall in the strength of the force does not necessarily result in less effective policing. It can be compensated for by more effective operational deployment, by greater civilianisation and by the introduction of better management tools such as the information technology plan costing £26 million which is about to be implemented. I am satisfied, therefore, that the present and proposed opertional strengths are adequate for operational needs.