Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 October 2016
44. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of additional gardaí to be assigned to Fingal as part of the increase announced in the budget, by station, grade and work pattern and indicating whether they serve on a full-time or part-time basis, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32393/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources among the various Garda Divisions and Districts, and I, as Minister, I have no direct role in the matter. I am assured by the Garda Commissioner that the allocation of resources is continually monitored and reviewed taking into account all relevant factors including crime trends, demographics, and security assessments relating to the area in question so as to ensure optimal use is made of Garda human resources.
The area referred to by the Deputy is covered by both the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) West Division and DMR North Division. I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that on 30 September 2016, the latest date for which figures are readily available, the current Garda strength in those Divisions was 671 and 675, respectively. When appropriate, the work of local Gardaí is also supported by a number of Garda national units such as the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (formerly the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation), and the National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.
This Government is committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. In furtherance of this I recently announced that the Government has approved my proposal for an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians. In 2017, funding has been provided for the recruitment of 800 Garda recruits and up to 500 civilians to support the wide ranging reform plan in train in An Garda Síochána. Appointments will also be made to the Garda Reserve of approximately 300.
Taking account of projected retirements, reaching a strength of 15,000 will require some 3,200 new Garda members to be recruited on a phased basis over the next four years in addition to the 1,200 that will have been recruited by the end of this year since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014. So far 534 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána of which 50 have been assigned to the DMR West and 41 have been assigned to the DMR North. Another 150 will attest later this year and will be assigned to mainstream uniform duties nationwide.
In order to continue to ensure seamless ongoing recruitment I was very pleased to announce the commencement of a new recruitment campaign on 8 September. The campaign is being organised by the Public Appointments Service on behalf of the Commissioner. The existing recruitment campaign (launched last November) is ongoing and successful candidates will continue to be called from that campaign this year and into next year. It is expected that successful candidates from the new campaign will enter the Garda College from mid-2017.
This accelerated recruitment of trainee Garda is complemented by substantial investment in resources across the board for An Garda Síochána. The Deputy will be aware of the significant resources that have been made available to An Garda Síochána under the Government's Capital Plan 2016-2021. In particular, some €205 million in additional funding for Garda ICT and €46 million for new Garda vehicles has been allocated over the lifetime of the plan. This investment will facilitate the provision of more effective policing services and I expect that the Garda Divisions within the Fingal area, like all other Garda Divisions will benefit from these new resources becoming available.
