Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

In accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005, proposals on the opening and closing of Garda stations are matters for the Garda Commissioner in the context of the annual policing plans. In this regard, significant developments have been under way in the Garda Síochána to re-align Garda divisional boundaries to make them coterminous with local authority boundaries. One of the main aims of this project is to bring about greater efficiencies and effectiveness in facilitating the establishment and functioning of the joint policing committees.

These boundary changes have had significant positive impacts in County Meath in particular, with the establishment of a new Garda division in the county in June last year. As part of the work of establishing the new division, a detailed analysis of the policing needs of the county was carried out, including an assessment of crime trends, population levels and policing requirements. This analysis resulted in a re-alignment of the geographical areas of district and sub-district stations of the new division and the establishment of a new Garda district of Laytown. This new district has been operational since 1 January this year.

In conjunction with the establishment of the new division, there has also been a significant increase in the number of Garda resources allocated to the division. The total personnel strength of the Meath Garda division on 28 February 2009 stood at 307. This represents a significant increase of over 16% since the start of 2008. In addition, a significant number of civilian staff are assigned to the division.

Garda personnel assigned throughout the country, together with overall policing arrangements and operational strategy, are monitored and reviewed by the Garda Síochána on an ongoing basis. Such monitoring ensures that optimum use is made of Garda resources, and that the best possible Garda service is provided to the public.

Engagement with the community is a key priority of the Garda Síochána and this objective extends well beyond the physical presence of the Garda station, important though that is. In this regard, any proposal to increase the number of Garda stations in the county would be incompatible with contemporary policing policy as it would result in valuable Garda resources being diverted from outdoor, operational policing to indoor administration duties.

With regard to accommodation matters generally, the Garda Commissioner has established a Garda accommodation programme board, under the chairmanship of the chief administrative officer, to prepare a long-term accommodation strategy for the organisation. This strategy will address a number of areas including the identification of future accommodation needs with particular reference to policy and policing requirements and taking into account international trends and perspectives. It will also assess current buildings and facilities including their condition, location and development requirements. The accommodation requirements for County Meath will be fully considered in this regard.

I fully understand Deputy Byrne's point because County Meath has changed in recent years from being a rural area to being a suburb of Dublin, with a huge increase in population and a need for more gardaí and Garda stations. While constituents like to have a Garda station nearby, they are often not the relevant factor. The important thing is the ability of gardaí to come to the scene of a crime when they are needed, rather than a garda sitting in the station who cannot come out because he cannot leave the station unattended. The new division in Laytown will lead to better policing.

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