Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 July 2011
533 Deputy John Lyons asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the measures that have been taken to date, including staffing reallocations, to ensure that administrative duties are carried out by civilian staff to free up highly trained gardaí for preventing and detecting crime; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22398/11]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are currently around 2,100 full-time-equivalent civilian support staff in the Garda Síochána.
These staff provide vital support services in a wide range of areas, such as human resources, training & development, IT and telecommunications, finance and procurement, internal audit, research and analysis, accommodation and fleet management, scene-of-crime support and medical services.
Every opportunity will be taken, in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government, to enhance the level of civilian support within the Garda Síochána, including through redeployment under the Croke Park Agreement.
534 Deputy John Lyons asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the measures that have been taken to place an extra emphasis on community policing and to ensure that there is a higher visibility in the local neighbourhoods most affected by crime and anti-social behaviour; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22399/11]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Garda Síochána now operates a new model of Community Policing which aims to build upon and enhance progress made so far. I fully support this renewed emphasis on Community Policing particularly in light of the priority given to this by the Programme for Government.
535 Deputy John Lyons asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the measures taken to free up gardaí who are detained in the courts; if he plans to review current prosecution and judicial case management systems for this purpose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22401/11]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will appreciate that a significant amount of Garda time has to be devoted to court duties. In that context specific measures have been put in place by the Garda authorities, and in legislation, to minimise the extent to which Garda members have to attend in court. This is, of course, subject to the overall requirements of justice and judicial supervision.
My position, and that of the Government, is that it is vital that Garda and other public service resources are utilised as effectively as possible. With this in mind, I have initiated a review of the criminal justice system to identify any structural changes that might be required to achieve cost savings. The review, which is being conducted in conjunction with key stakeholders, encompasses the participation of Garda members in court proceedings and I expect that it will be completed by October. I will bring forward any proposals I may have arising from the review as quickly as possible.
536 Deputy John Lyons asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he is able to provide, by station, the number of cases each juvenile liaison officer is case managing; if he has any plans to evaluate and extend this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22402/11]
Amharc ar fhreagraInformation on the work of Garda Juvenile Liaison Officers (JLOs) is published annually in the Report of the Committee appointed to monitor the effectiveness of the Diversion Programme, in accordance with Section 44 of the Children Act 2001, as amended. The last published report, for 2009, is available on the website of the Irish Youth Justice Service (www.iyjs.ie) and on the Garda website (www.garda.ie).
Information is published by Garda Division and includes the number of incidents and the number of children referred to the Diversion Programme, along with the deployment of JLOs across the Divisions. Using this information, it is possible to work out an approximate caseload per JLO. However, such an exercise would appear to be of no added value unless account is taken of the complexity of the individual cases. It is also the case that any more detailed analysis would, at this stage, involve a disproportionate use of Garda time and other resources. I understand that the report for 2010 is nearing completion and I will publish it as soon as possible after I receive it.
With regard to Government's plans to extend the role of JLOs, I wish to refer the Deputy to my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 151 of 13 July 2011.
