Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I assure Deputy Michael McGrath that I have taken careful note of the points he has raised and I would be happy to engage further with him. We must all remain vigilant in the fight against all forms of criminality across communities, urban and rural. I assure the Deputy that the acting Garda Commissioner and I remain in ongoing contact in the context of the deployment of Garda resources in line with new and emerging trends. Operation Thor is proving most successful to date and the Government remains committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has an appropriate level of resources to tackle crime in our communities. Indeed, the recent budget will support the continuation of this high-level investment in the Garda workforce and ensure that the vision of an overall workforce of 21,000 by 2021 remains on track.

I agree that availability and visibility are all-important, and that is now what we are seeing across communities in terms of an increased presence of gardaí since the reopening of the Garda College in Templemore under this Government. A further 800 new recruits will enter the college and 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. I agree with the Deputy on the matter of form-filling and passport applications. In addition, we have plans to strengthen the Garda Reserve, with new reserves expected to commence training in early 2018.

I assure the House and Deputy Michael McGrath that all Garda activities, including community policing, will undoubtedly benefit from the resources now coming on stream through the Garda recruitment programme and, in particular, the commitment on the part of the Government to increase Garda numbers so that the force will have the capacity to address the needs of communities throughout the country, including in Cork and other areas, well into the future.

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