James Browne
Ceist:254. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí deployed in Garda stations in County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51345/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 10 December 2019
Ceisteanna (254)
Freagraí scríofa
The Garda Commissioner is statutorily responsible for the management of An Garda Síochána, including personnel matters and deployment of resources. As Minister, I have no responsibility for these matters. I am assured that Garda management keeps the 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 resources.
A record €1.76 billion was allocated to the Garda Vote for 2019 and this is increasing further to an unprecedented €1.882 billion for 2020. Significant capital investment is also being made, amounting to a total of €92 million this year and rising further to over €116 million in 2020.
This level of funding is enabling sustained, ongoing recruitment of Garda members and staff and as a result, An Garda Síochána is a growing organisation. We now have over 14,300 Gardaí nationwide, supported by over 2,900 Garda staff. And these numbers are growing, as part of the Government’s plan to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021. Since the reopening of the Garda Training College in 2014, approximately 3,000 new Garda members have attested and been assigned to frontline policing duties in communities throughout the country, including the 197 new members that attested on 29 November last.
Details in relation to the number of Gardaí deployed to all Garda Divisions is available on my Department’s website. This information 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_October_2019.xlsx/Files/002_Garda_Numbers_by_Division_District_and_Station_2009_to_October_2019.xlsx
Specifically in relation to the Wexford, I am informed by the Garda authorities that as of 31 October 2019 there were 319 Gardaí assigned to the Wexford Division. This represents a significant increase of 64 Gardaí in the Division since the end of 2015, a 25% increase over the past four years. I am informed that these Gardaí are supported by 40 Garda staff, which again represents a significant increase of 12 Garda staff since the end of 2015. This increase in Garda staff numbers supports the redeployment of Gardaí from administrative to operational policing duties, where their training and expertise can be used to best effect. Taken together, this increase in Garda and civilian staff numbers means a significant increase in operational policing hours in Wexford in recent years.
Information on Garda staff is also available at the following link:
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Garda_Staff
For more information on the Garda Workforce as well as general information on 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