Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The Government is committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. To make this a reality for all, the Government has in place a plan to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021, comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Garda Reserve members and 4,000 civilians.

As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that in regard to the deployment of Garda personnel, a distribution model is used that takes into account all relevant and appropriate factors, including population, crime trends and the policing needs of each Garda division, including the Meath division, with a view to providing an effective and responsive police service.

I acknowledge what the Deputy said, particularly in reference to the growing population in Meath. He makes a good point in that regard. I am informed by the Commissioner that the Garda strength of the Meath division on 31 August 2017, the latest date for which figures are readily available, was 295. There are also 17 Garda Reserve personnel and 28 civilians attached to the division. When appropriate, the work of local gardaí is supported by a number of Garda national units, such as the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau. I am further informed by the Commissioner that, since the reopening of the Garda College in Templemore in September 2014, close to 1,400 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide. Forty-six of these have been assigned to the Meath division. In addition, another 200 trainee gardaí are scheduled to attest later this year, which will see Garda numbers, taking account of projected retirements, increase to around 13,500 by the end of the year, an increase of 500 since the end of 2016. I am pleased to say that budget 2018 will support the continuation of this high level of investment in the Garda and ensure that the vision of an overall workforce of 21,000 by 2021 remains on track.

In 2018, a further 800 new Garda recruits will enter the Garda College. An additional 500 civilians will also be recruited to fill critical skills gaps across the organisation and to facilitate the redeployment of gardaí from administrative and technical duties to front-line operational duties. We need to ensure gardaí are doing on a daily basis work they are trained to do, namely, Garda work. There are plans to strengthen the Garda Reserve, with new reserves expected to commence training early next year. The focus on investment in personnel is critical. The moratorium on recruitment introduced in 2010 resulted in a significant reduction in the overall strength of An Garda Síochána. We are now rebuilding the organisation and providing the Commissioner with the resources needed to deploy increasing numbers of gardaí across every Garda division, including the Meath division, over the coming time.

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