Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2020
1080. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí per station in County Kildare; the number of Garda vehicles available full-time to each station; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33835/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is, by law, responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including personnel matters and deployment of resources. The allocation of Garda resources is made in light of identified operational demand. This includes deployment of personnel among the various Garda Divisions. As Minister, I have no direct role in the matter.
I am assured, however, that Garda management keeps this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of policing priorities and crime trends, to ensure their optimum use. I understand that 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 each area within the Division and its specific needs.
An Garda Síochána has been allocated an unprecedented budget of €1.952 billion for 2021. This level of funding is enabling sustained, ongoing recruitment of Garda members and staff. As a result, Garda numbers are now some 14,600 Garda members and over 3,000 Garda staff nationwide. Budget 2021 will allow for the recruitment of up to 620 new Gardaí and an extra 500 Garda staff.
The Deputy may wish to note that as at 30 September 2020 there were 419 Gardaí assigned to Kildare Garda Division, an increase of almost 34% since 2015. There are also 40 Garda staff, an increase of almost 38% since 2015.
Detailed information in relation to Garda numbers, including the year end figures for the Division mentioned in each of the years from 2010 to 2019, is available on my Department’s website. This information is updated every month with the latest data provided by An Garda Síochána, at the following link:
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/002_Garda_Numbers_by_Division_District_and_Station_2009_to_September_2020.xlsx/Files/002_Garda_Numbers_by_Division_District_and_Station_2009_to_September_2020.xlsx
Additional information on Garda staff, the Garda Workforce and other facts and figures are available at the following link: http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/An_Garda_Siochana_facts_and_figures
There will also be continued investment in the Garda Fleet of €8 million in addition to the highest ever investment of approximately €15 million in the Garda Transport Fleet in 2020 – a proportion of which relates to the Garda COVID 19 response.
This continuing investment is intended to ensure that An Garda Síochána has a modern, effective and fit-for-purpose fleet and that Gardaí can be mobile, visible and responsive on the roads and in the community to prevent and tackle crime.
There has been an increase of over 37.5 % in the total size of the fleet in the Kildare Division since 2015. A breakdown of the number of vehicles by Division and District as at 30th September 2020 is provided in the following table:
Strength of Garda Fleet, broken down by Division & District as at 30/09/20
|
Division / District |
Cars Total |
Vans Total |
Motorcycles Total |
4x4 Total |
Others Total |
Total |
|
KILDARE |
20 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
26 |
|
LEIXLIP |
12 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
15 |
|
NAAS |
16 |
6 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
25 |
|
KILDARE |
48 |
14 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
66 |
