Ms Nóirín O'Sullivan:

There has been a number of attempts at studies to identify the optimum number of the force. It would be remiss of me if I did not say that police chiefs the world over would say the more resources they have the better. I am no different. The reality is that we are working on an operating model and are attempting to identify the baseline number that is required for front-line policing. It is important to say that high visibility policing, which Deputy Ferris mentioned, is a priority area. Deputy McGrath queried the specialist functions and specialist units and Senator Conway raised the question of international and domestic terrorism. It is very important that as well as high visibility policing we have the resources to provide the level of service to meet those specific functions.

Deputy Farrell asked about civilianisation, which we view very much as professionalisation. That is a very important shift in thinking that moves way beyond civilianisation. We are seeking to create a modern dynamic 21st century policing service. To do that we need professionalisation as civilianisation. We must ensure we get the right people with the competence, skills and capability to be able to provide and augment the service we provide to the community. In the past 12 months, we have employed an executive director of human resources and people development. We have identified policing analysts as a critical requirement for the future in terms of making sure we have evidence-based intelligence led policing information but also business information on the numbers required, so that we can model it and benchmark it against other police service and we can look at how we are doing in terms of professionalising the organisation. Our Department in conjunction with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform have started a competition in respect of providing policing analysts.

There are three strands to policing. We have front-line policing, and we need to ensure we have the capacity and capability to provide the specialist level of services that are needed throughout the organisation and we need to support all of that with the professionalisation of roles that can be done by people other than sworn members of the Garda. To do that we need to identify the correct skill set and competency. I mentioned the establishment of a strategic transformation office. It is populated at present with gardaí but we have identified the skills, competence and capability in terms of professionalisation that is needed to augment the structure and make it sustainable.

Members will be aware that a number of studies have been done in terms of civilianisation, but I think it has to move beyond ratios for civilianisation into professionalisation and developing professional capability.