Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That is purely an operational decision in which I do not have a role. I do not interfere in any way in operational decisions by An Garda Síochána; it is a decision for Garda management and the Commissioner. However, the best chance of having further gardaí assigned around the country is to deal with the issues Deputy Niall Collins has raised about civilianisation and recruitment because then gardaí could be allocated to the areas most in need.

I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that, recognising the needs of the area, 20 newly-attested gardaí have been assigned to Wexford Garda division. Those decisions about where gardaí, who have been going through the college in the past two years, are allocated are based on the needs of different areas.

When one examines the crime trends around the country, one sees different trends in different areas. There are areas where crime and burglaries have decreased considerably. It is worth looking at the statistics regarding some of the areas we hear a lot about. Of course, any crime is one too many and there have been some horrific instances but the decision about where gardaí are located is one for the Garda.

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