Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 May 2018
110. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of new Garda recruits assigned to each Garda division in each of the years from 2012 to 2017, inclusive, and to date in 2018, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21782/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is made of these resources.
I am informed by the Commissioner that in regard to the deployment of Garda personnel, a distribution model is used which takes into account all relevant factors including population, crime trends and the policing needs of each individual Garda Division. Where a deficiency in resources is identified the matter is considered fully and addressed accordingly.
I am further informed by the Commissioner that on the 30 April 2018, the latest date for which figures are readily available, the strength of An Garda Síochána was 13,632. There are also 562 Garda Reserves and more than 2,280 civilians attached to An Garda Síochána.
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 to deter crime. To achieve this the Government has put in place a plan for an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians. We are making real, tangible progress on achieving this goal.
Since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, just under 1,800 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide. Garda numbers, taking account of retirements, increased to 13,551 at the end of 2017 – a net increase of over 600 since the end of 2016.
I am pleased that funding is in place to maintain this high level of investment in the Garda workforce to ensure that the vision of an overall workforce of 21,000 by 2021 remains on track. This year a further 800 new Garda Recruits will enter the Garda College, some 400 of whom have already done so. In total, 800 Garda trainees are scheduled to attest during the year which will see Garda numbers, taking account of projected retirements, reach 14,000 by the end of this year.
In addition, a further 500 civilians will also be recruited to fill critical skills gaps across the organisation and to facilitate the redeployment of Gardaí from administrative and technical duties to front-line operational duties. There are plans to strengthen the Garda Reserve with new Reserves expected to commence training in 2018.
In so far as the allocation of newly attested Gardaí is concerned, this is a matter for the Commissioner. I am assured by the Commissioner that the needs of all Garda Divisions are fully considered when determining the allocation of resources. However, it is important to keep in mind that newly attested Gardaí have a further 16 months of practical and classroom based training to complete in order to receive their BA in Applied Policing. To ensure that they are properly supported and supervised and have opportunities to gain the breadth of policing experience required, the Commissioner's policy is to allocate them to specially designated training stations which have the required training and development structures and resources in place, including trained Garda tutors and access to a permanently appointed supervisory Sergeant who is thoroughly familiar with their responsibilities under the training programme.
This focus on investment in personnel is critical. The moratorium on recruitment introduced in 2010 resulted in a significant reduction in the strength of An Garda Síochána. We are now rebuilding the organisation and providing the Commissioner with the resources needed to deploy increasing numbers of Gardaí across every Division.
Due to the moratorium on recruitment there were no attestations in the period 2012-2014. For the Deputy's information I have set out in the following table the Garda Divisions to which new recruits have been allocated from 2015 to date in 2018 as advised by the Commissioner:
Probationer Garda Allocations by Division - 2015 to 2018
|
DIVISION |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
Total |
|
D.M.R. EAST |
9 |
19 |
37 |
5 |
70 |
|
D.M.R. NORTH |
19 |
34 |
70 |
17 |
140 |
|
D.M.R. NORTH CENTRAL |
22 |
44 |
69 |
35 |
170 |
|
D.M.R. SOUTH |
19 |
33 |
66 |
18 |
136 |
|
D.M.R. SOUTH CENTRAL |
21 |
42 |
78 |
19 |
160 |
|
D.M.R. WEST |
29 |
35 |
73 |
18 |
155 |
|
KILDARE |
14 |
19 |
47 |
5 |
85 |
|
LAOIS / OFFALY |
9 |
20 |
42 |
5 |
76 |
|
MEATH |
5 |
19 |
30 |
5 |
59 |
|
WESTMEATH |
5 |
5 |
22 |
0 |
32 |
|
WICKLOW |
7 |
19 |
5 |
31 |
|
|
CAVAN / MONAGHAN |
10 |
8 |
22 |
13 |
53 |
|
DONEGAL |
10 |
5 |
13 |
4 |
32 |
|
LOUTH |
10 |
17 |
34 |
8 |
69 |
|
SLIGO / LEITRIM |
5 |
5 |
8 |
0 |
18 |
|
KILKENNY/CARLOW |
9 |
10 |
30 |
4 |
53 |
|
TIPPERARY |
5 |
14 |
21 |
4 |
44 |
|
WATERFORD |
14 |
10 |
30 |
7 |
61 |
|
WEXFORD |
14 |
10 |
34 |
6 |
64 |
|
CORK CITY |
7 |
5 |
26 |
10 |
48 |
|
CORK NORTH |
0 |
5 |
15 |
0 |
20 |
|
CORK WEST |
5 |
15 |
0 |
20 |
|
|
KERRY |
9 |
0 |
17 |
3 |
29 |
|
LIMERICK |
9 |
17 |
18 |
9 |
53 |
|
CLARE |
10 |
5 |
10 |
4 |
29 |
|
GALWAY |
5 |
5 |
10 |
2 |
22 |
|
MAYO |
5 |
14 |
0 |
19 |
|
|
ROSCOMMON / LONGFORD |
|
5 |
10 |
0 |
15 |
|
Totals |
286 |
391 |
880 |
206 |
1763 |
