Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 December 2005
394 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of gardaí on duty in Ballymun during the night-time shift; and if he will request the Commissioner to review numbers available to the station during this time in view of the ongoing anti-social problems in part of the area and the poor Garda response times experienced by members of the public. [38048/05]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have been informed by the Garda authorities, who are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, that the personnel strength of Ballymun Garda station as at 1 December 2005 was 64, including all ranks.
I have been further informed that for security and operational reasons it is not Garda policy to disclose the number of personnel on duty in any given area over any specific period of time.
With regard to the policing of the Ballymun area, the Garda authorities state that the area is patrolled by the gardaí from Santry, Whitehall and Ballymun sub-districts and is supplemented by regular beat, mountain bike and detective unit patrols. Members of the community policing unit are assigned to the Ballymun area and have an excellent rapport with the local community and offer advice, support and assistance. The area is also patrolled by the divisional task force and traffic corps and additional foot patrols have also been assigned in the area as part of operational anvil.
Garda management further states that current policing plans for the area are designed to address the issues of anti-social and public order offences, the prevention of crime, including violence against the person and property and the maintenance of an environment conducive to the improvement of quality of life of the residents. This strategy is regularly reviewed by local Garda management and continues to be central to the delivery of a policing service to the area.
With regard to Garda resources generally, the accelerated recruitment campaign to reach a record force strength of 14,000, in line with the commitment in the agreed programme for Government, is fully on target. This will lead to a combined strength, of both attested gardaí and recruits in training, of 14,000 by the end of 2006.
The Garda Commissioner will draw up plans on how best to distribute and manage these additional resources and, in this context, the needs of the Ballymun area will be fully considered within the overall context of the needs of Garda areas throughout the country.
