Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
1210. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of members of An Garda Síochána; the projected number at the end of 2018; the number in training; the provision for training new gardaí in 2018; if his Department is funded for the training of additional gardaí in 2019; the projected force strength in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35261/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for recruitment of personnel, and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter.
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.
I am informed by the Commissioner that as of 31 May 2018 the number of Garda members was 13,600 approximately. Taking account of planned recruitment and projected departures, the number of Gardaí is forecast to increase to approximately 14,000 by year end. Already this year some 400 Garda trainees have attested with a further 400 scheduled to attest during the second half of the year. In addition, two further intakes of 200 Garda trainees to the College are planned for July and October which will bring the total intake of trainees to 800 this year.
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. Since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, just under 2,000 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide.
Taking account of projected retirements, reaching a strength of 15,000 by 2021 will require some 2,000 new Garda members to be recruited on a phased basis over the next three years in addition to those that will have been recruited by the end of this year.
As the Deputy will be aware, in line with normal procedures, funding provision in respect of 2019 will be considered as part of the Estimates process.
