Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 March 2020
336. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the position regarding the ongoing allocation of gardaí in counties Cavan and Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2863/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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 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.
The resources provided by Government to An Garda Síochána have reached unprecedented levels, with an allocation for 2020 of €1.88 billion. 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.
There are approximately 14,300 Gardaí nationwide, supported by over 2,900 Garda staff and these numbers are continuing to grow. It may be noted that the increasing number of Garda staff is allowing the Commissioner to redeploy Gardaí from administrative to mainstream policing duties, where their training and expertise can be used to best effect. Taken together, this increase in the number of both Garda members and staff is delivering a significant increase in operational policing hours nationwide.
Details on the overall number of Garda members assigned to the Cavan/Monaghan Garda Division are available on my Department's website at the following link:
http://justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Garda_Workforce
Details in relation to the number of Garda staff assigned to the Cavan/Monaghan Garda Division are also available on my Department's website at the following link:
http://justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Garda_Staff
