Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy will acknowledge that funding has been made available by the Government to ensure we can continue what is a high level of investment in An Garda Síochána. This year a further 800 Garda trainees will enter the college, with 800 also scheduled to attest. This will see Garda numbers reach more than 14,000 by the end of this year. This increase in Garda numbers will facilitate the Commissioner in meeting his commitment to strengthen the numbers assigned to roads policing by 10% year on year. It is not all about numbers. The Commissioner's modernisation and renewal programme places a strong emphasis on the expansion of the role of the traffic corps to include crime prevention and detection on the roads through the setting up of divisional roads policing units. The Commissioner has confirmed that a review of roads policing has been completed and that a new role and job description for additional personnel for road policing units has now been developed. I am advised that regional competitions which will allow for the allocation of additional resources to the divisional roads policing units are ongoing. Garda management plans in the region of 150 additional gardaí to be assigned on an incremental basis to roads policing duties this year in order to support better outcomes in road traffic enforcement and crime prevention.

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