It is important to be clear that under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 as amended, the Garda Commissioner has responsibility for management of An Garda Síochána and for the allocation and efficient use of Garda resources. This includes responsibility for personnel matters and the distribution of personnel across the various Garda Divisions. As Minister I have no direct role in these matters. I understand however that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities, to ensure their optimum use.
As the Deputy will be aware, a record €1.76 billion was allocated to the Garda Vote for 2019, as well as capital investment amounting to €92 million this year and this is increasing to an unprecedented €1.882 billion for 2020.
In relation to the personnel assigned to Macroom Garda station as referred to by the Deputy, I would point out that the number of Gardaí by rank, attached to each Garda station is available on my Department’s website and is updated every month with the latest data provided by An Garda Síochána. This information is available at the following link:
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/002_Garda_Numbers_by_Division_District_and_Station_2009_to_September_2019.xlsx/Files/002_Garda_Numbers_by_Division_District_and_Station_2009_to_September_2019.xlsx
Information on Garda staff is available at the following link:
http://justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Garda_Staff
For more general information on the Garda Workforce and additional Garda facts and figures, the Deputy may also wish to see the information on the links below:
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Garda_Workforce
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/An_Garda_Siochana_facts_and_figures.