Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The policing plan for 2013, which I laid before the House last week, outlines the Garda Commissioner's proposals for the continued reorganisation and consolidation of the Garda station and district network. Until this year, the Garda station network was essentially the same as the RIC network which obtained in 1922. Such a large-scale static deployment of resources is no longer appropriate, particularly as the transport and communications infrastructure has been transformed. The Garda Síochána has a class-leading police computer system, a state-of-the-art digital radio system and a transport fleet which is currently receiving significant investment. The new Garda roster being piloted at present provides a better match between Garda availability and policing demand. All of these developments enable the Garda Síochána to be more mobile and flexible and to deliver a more effective policing service.

We must be honest about the level of policing service that was capable of being provided from the stations that were and are to be closed. Of the 100 stations to be closed next year, 98% are open only on a part-time basis, 94% are open for three hours a day or less, 88% are served by 1 garda and only 5% are served by three or more Garda personnel. Of the 39 stations closed this year, eight were not actually open at all and had been surreptitiously closed under the watch of previous Governments. Their closure was a paper exercise which simply recognised reality. Following the closures in 2013, there will still be 564 Garda stations in the State. This will still be significantly more per capita than is the case in comparable jurisdictions, such as Northern Ireland, where there are 86 stations for a population of 1.5 million, and Scotland, where there are approximately 340 stations for a population of 5.2 million.

Some critics have complained that the station closures will save only small amounts of money, but this completely misses the point. The point is to make the best use of our well-trained gardaí and, in particular, to maximise the amount of time they spend performing operational duties. The Garda Commissioner, in his professional judgment, has concluded that a more effective and efficient policing service can be provided through the proposals to close these stations and to merge 28 Garda districts into 14. These proposals, along with the other proposal to close the public counters in seven other stations at night, will free up gardaí for front-line service in the communities concerned. This is all the more important at a time of decreasing Garda numbers. It is worth recalling that it was the previous Government that undertook to reduce Garda strength to 13,000 as part of its commitment to the troika to reduce public service numbers overall. The previous Government also introduced the moratorium on public sector recruitment, the result of which has been that no trainee Garda has entered the Garda college since May 2009.

Current Garda strength is 13,450. This is supplemented by approximately 2,000 civilian support staff and 1,000 Garda reserves. I will remain in dialogue with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform on the issue of Garda resources, but what is vital now is that the still-significant resources of the force are used with maximum efficiency and to the greatest effect. That is why the reforms being introduced by the Garda Commissioner are essential and should be supported by all Members of the House.

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