Brian Stanley
Ceist:15. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the progress in deploying gardaí to a greater extent in community and frontline policing. [29328/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThursday, 5 July 2018
Ceisteanna (15)
Freagraí scríofa
I should say at the outset that the distribution of Garda personnel is exclusively the statutory responsibility of the Garda Commissioner.
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.
Community policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána. It provides a means of recognising that every community – both urban and rural – has its own concerns and expectations. That is why it is important to recognise that the role of a community Garda is not a specialist role in An Garda Síochána; rather it is the case that all Gardaí have a role to play in community policing in carrying out their duties. The official categorisation as a Community Garda simply refers to those who are exclusively assigned to building relationships with local communities and civil society including giving talks to schools, community groups and others. It is a matter for the Divisional Chief Superintendent to determine the optimum distribution of duties among the personnel available to him or her having regard to the profile of the area and its specific needs.
A major programme of reform is already underway in An Garda Síochána. In July 2016, the Government approved a major Five Year Reform and High-level Workforce Plan for An Garda Síochána, which agreed to an overall vision for a Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 to include 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Garda Reserve members and 4,000 civilians. The projected 4,000 civilians represents a medium-term target of 20% of the full-time workforce in An Garda Síochána, in effect doubling the civilian staff count over the term of the programme. This is to be achieved through twin policies of "civilian by default" and redeployment. "Civilian by default" refers to the filling of new posts other than operational policing posts and non-operational policing posts that become vacant by civilian staff unless policing expertise is required.
The redeployment element is informed by the Garda Inspectorate's 2015 "Changing Policing in Ireland" report which estimated that approximately 1,500 administrative and technical roles currently undertaken by Gardaí may be suitable for civilianisation subject to further examination. The Government’s plan aims to return as many of these Gardaí as possible to policing duties over the next five years, to ensure a visible policing presence on the frontline and to ensure the best possible policing services to the people of Ireland.
Progress is being made in relation to civilianisation with almost 300 new civilian posts approved to date. The bulk of these posts are aimed at addressing critical skills gaps and capacity issues across the organisation, with a proportion approved to make a start on the redeployment of Gardaí to policing duties. Progress is also being made in relation to redeployment with the latest figures to the end of May indicating over 100 Garda members have been redeployed to policing roles. I have made it clear to the Commissioner that I expect progress in this area to continue and accelerate.
As I have stated in the House on other occasions the 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. I am informed by the Commissioner that since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, almost 2,000 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.
As the Deputy will be aware the increase in Garda numbers last year represented the first significant increase since numbers started falling in 2009. Undoubtedly, the investment in resources and the ongoing recruitment process will support all Garda activities and enable the Commissioner to provide additional resources to all Garda Divisions in the coming years.