Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

I have been assured by the Garda authorities that the Garda information system which includes PULSE is functioning very satisfactorily. The PULSE system is more widely available than ever before, with access by both Garda and civilian personnel to over 2,000 personal computers in 347 locations, including all divisional and district headquarters. Significant investment has been made over the years to improve availability and response times and I am advised that as a result, there has been virtually no unplanned downtime. From the start of 2007 PULSE was amalgamated with other systems including the fixed charge processing system to form a new combined IT system referred to as the Garda information system.

The system continues to be an invaluable tool used extensively by gardaí in the performance of their duties. Since the first phase of the system was developed in 1999, significant upgrades have been carried out to provide for, inter alia, new functionalities such as those arising from the introduction of new legislation, new business requirements and the automation of manual processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness. For example, the last release of the system in November 2008 included provision for the electronic transfer of summons details to the Courts Service and, in return, the Courts Service makes available court outcomes which are electronically updated onto the system thus removing the need for manual input. It is estimated that this alone has resulted in time savings that equate to at least 70 full-time gardaí. The next release of the system, which will be deployed next month, includes several enhancements in the areas of missing persons, the monitoring of sex offenders and firearms licensing.

The Garda Information Services Centre, GISC, which is based in Castlebar, and staffed by civilian personnel 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 the GISC, thus releasing Garda resources for visible, front line policing across our communities.

With regard to international comparisons, I am advised that when the concept of the system was being developed, an extensive analysis of systems in other jurisdictions was carried out to ensure that best practices were incorporated into the system. The design approach involved the development of a comprehensive data model which has ensured that the system can be extended as required without the need for extensive redesign and redevelopment. I am assured that the system will continue to be developed to meet the ongoing and future needs of the Garda Síochána.

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