Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 July 2017
285. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he will report on the establishment of a national crime prevention centre as outlined in the An Garda Síochána modernisation and renewal programme 2016 to 2021; the estimated full year cost of such a centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31056/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraLast July, the Government approved a Five Year Reform and High Level Workforce Plan for An Garda Síochána which combines the Government’s response to the Garda Inspectorate report 'Changing Policing in Ireland' and the commitments in the Programme for a Partnership Government aimed at increasing the visibility, effectiveness and responsiveness of An Garda Síochána. The Government agreed that the Garda Commissioner's Modernisation and Renewal Programme (MRP) 2016-2021 would be the vehicle for implementation of the Inspectorate recommendations aimed at the Garda organisation. In support of this plan, Budget 2017 provided funding to continue to expand the number of Gardaí towards 15,000, to double the Reserve to 2,000 and to double the number of civilians to 4,000 by 2021. In addition, the plan is supported by substantial capital investment of some €310 million in critical ICT infrastructure, the fleet and other Garda facilities.
Robust independent oversight is essential to ensuring that the pursuit of the reform programme is relentless over the next 5 years. To ensure that this is case, the 240 agreed recommendations of 'Changing Policing in Ireland' have been referred to the Policing Authority to monitor and assess their implementation by An Garda Síochána and to report progress to me on a quarterly basis. The first two progress reports from the Authority, received in January and April, have been published on my Department's website.
The MRP includes more than 80 initiatives and 135 projects at present of which 24 have been completed with a significant number in progress. The MRP is the most ambitious programme of reform ever embarked on by the organisation. Due to the scale of the programme, a phased planning approach is essential. In this regard the Commissioner has advised that some initiatives will be implemented in the short to medium term, while others will require a number of years to implement fully. The establishment of a National Crime Prevention Centre to research and distribute best practice on crime prevention throughout the organisation while part of the Programme is not due to be progressed this year but will be progressed in a later phase of the programme.
