Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 124: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the degree to which all garda stations here have been provided with pulse and or other up to date communications facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46512/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I am informed by the Garda authorities that the number of Garda stations on the Garda Information Systems (GIS), which includes PULSE, Fixed Charge Processing System (FCPS) and Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), has been increased to 347 locations out of 703 locations and these account for over 85% of incidents. The PULSE system and email facilities are available at all Divisional, District Headquarters and 24 hour stations.

It was never the intention of the Garda authorities to provide PULSE in every single Garda location and the extension of the system to other Garda stations is regularly reviewed by Garda management with additional stations added on a case by case basis.

The Deputy will also be aware that the Garda Information Services Centre (GISC) based in Castlebar is now a key component in the Pulse System. This Centre allows Gardaí, who would otherwise have to return to their station to input or update incident data, to log the information over the telephone with their civilian colleagues at the GISC, thus keeping thousands of members of the Force effectively deployed for much longer periods in visible, front line policing roles across our communities.