Aindrias Moynihan
Ceist:24. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Justice the measures that will be taken to deal with the public order issue in Cork city; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25838/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 24 May 2022
Ceisteanna (24)
Freagraí scríofa
As the Deputy will be aware, the Government is committed to ensuring that people both feel safe and are safe in their communities.
Both the Programme for Government, as well as the Justice Plan 2022, contain a number of commitments to tackle crime and improve community safety, including the ongoing prioritisation of the work of the Expert Forum on Anti-Social Behaviour, charged with considering the effectiveness of existing legislation and looking at proposals for new ways forward.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, and the full reopening of the night-time economy, the numbers of persons coming into Cork city to socialise has increased substantially. With the addition of on-street facilities for dining and consumption of alcohol outside of licensed premises, there has also been a shift in the way in which people socialise from pre-pandemic norms.
The reduction in incident levels that were seen during 2020 and 2021 whilst public health restrictions were in place have seen a consequential increase as society returns to normal pre-pandemic activity.
Proactive policing patrols of the city centre and the Victorian Quarter areas help to deter incidents of assaults and associated public order offences. Additional Gardaí are employed on overtime on Friday and Saturday nights to supplement the working units in order to maintain a strong policing presence in the area and to promote confidence in the public coming into the city. Undoubtedly, these additional resources have led to increased detections of offences and consequent arrests.
In accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, which includes decisions on the deployment of personnel among the various Garda Divisions.
The budget provided by Government to the Garda Commissioner continues to increase to unprecedented levels, with an allocation in excess of €2 billion for 2022. This significant investment demonstrates the Government's commitment to increasing the Garda workforce to enable the organisation to keep our communities safe, including in Cork city and county, and to preventing crime in all its forms.
I can inform the Deputy that as of 30 April 2022, Cork City Division has 727 Gardaí assigned to it, Cork North Division has 331 Gardaí assigned to it, and Cork West has 295 members assigned there. These figures amount to an increase of over 12%, over 10% and almost 5% in each respective Division since 2016.
There are also 118 Garda staff in Cork City, 41 in Cork North and 36 in Cork West Division. These figures amount to a significant increase of 100%, 51% and 50% respectively since 2016, when there were 59 Garda staff assigned to Cork City, 27 in Cork North and 24 in Cork West Division. This increase in the number of Garda members and staff will deliver significant growth in operational policing hours and improved services to the public generally.
I am also assured that Garda management keeps the 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 them, having regard to the profile of each area within the Division and its specific needs.
An Garda Síochána also runs a number of proactive policing initiatives aimed at reducing assaults and improving feelings of community safety, including Operation Soteria (the national assault reduction strategy).