Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am making this statement on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, who would like to thank the Deputy for raising this matter. In accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005, as amended, the Commissioner is responsible for managing and controlling the administration and business of An Garda Síochána. The allocation of Garda resources is also a matter for the Commissioner. The Minister has no role in these matters. The Minister is assured, however, that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities to ensure their optimum use.

The Minister would also point out that it is entirely appropriate for the Commissioner to be in a position to make the detailed judgments necessary about where he puts his resources. That is a policing matter and the judgment of the Commissioner and his management team is key to the delivery of the best possible service to communities nationwide, including the Dublin South Central area.

Although resourcing questions are, accordingly, not for the Minister, he would like to point out that An Garda Síochána is a growing organisation. There are now over 14,200 gardaí nationwide, which is the highest level in over a decade. Since the Garda Training College reopened in 2014, 2,800 new Garda members have attested and have been assigned to front-line policing duties. A further 200 probationers are due to attest next month bringing that total recruitment to around 3,000. Approximately 800 new gardaí were recruited in 2017 and 2018. This year, 600 new gardaí were recruited. For 2020, recruitment of up to 700 gardaí will be possible depending on the Commissioner's decision on how best to balance the number of gardaí and Garda staff.

It must also be borne in mind that this unprecedented volume of recruitment of Garda members has also been accompanied by increasing numbers of Garda civilian staff. Garda members are now supported by over 2,800 Garda staff. In fact, Garda staff numbers have increased by 26% since the end of 2017. This very significant increase is allowing many more highly trained gardaí to return to the front line from administrative duties. The process of civilianisation has already delivered a total of 750 Garda members back to the front line and visible policing duties and this number is also increasing. To take Dublin South Central as an example, there are currently 758 Garda members, which is an increase of 110 from 648 at the end of 2018, while Garda staff total 117, which is a 60% increase on 2018.

This increased recruitment is one of the benefits being brought about through the Government's unprecedented investment in An Garda Síochána. We increased the Garda budget to €1.76 billion for 2019 plus capital investment of €92 million this year, which was a 50% increase on 2018 capital funding. The allocation for 2020 is increasing by a further €122 million to an unprecedented total of €1.88 billion. The capital allocation to An Garda Síochána is also increasing by 26% to a total of €116.5 million. This ongoing investment is with a view to the provision of the best possible policing service to all our communities, rural and urban, including Dublin South Central. We are seeing positive results from these efforts. The Garda Public Attitudes Survey results for quarter two of 2019 published earlier this month showed a welcome continuing reduction in the fear of crime, an increased public awareness of proactive policing and a visible Garda presence in local areas. There is also a lot to welcome in the crime statistics published by the CSO for quarter two of this year. There has been a decrease of over 40% in the number of recorded homicide incidents in the second quarter of 2019 when compared to the same period in 2018 and a decrease of 9.8% in burglary and related offences at the end of quarter two of 2019 when compared to the same period last year.

See this speech in context