Dáil debates

Tuesday, 6 February 2018

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed) - Priority Questions

Community Policing

5:25 pm

Photo of Charles FlanaganCharles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----in the manner in which they interact with their communities and for and on behalf of communities. The Garda Commissioner's Modernisation and Renewal Programme 2016-2021 places a strong emphasis on further developing and supporting the community policing ethos of the organisation so that Gardaí spend more time in the community, gaining public confidence and trust, providing a greater sense of security in communities. This plan includes a number of proposed initiatives including the establishment of local policing teams, headed by an inspector, made up of gardaí from a range of areas to work proactively with the local community in order to prevent crime and to detect it, and the establishment of community safety forums in every district which will comprise of local gardaí, communities and key stakeholders which will support the work of the community policing teams in every community.

I am very pleased that this Government is committed to ensuring that we are recruiting to the gardaí in an intense and proactive way, after years of declining numbers. I intend that over the next three years the Government will meet its targets of a Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021, comprising of 15,000 members of An Garda Síochána, 4,000 civilian support staff and an increase in the Garda Reserve to 2,000. Most of those will be community gardaí.

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