Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister for Justice I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Deputy Ó Ríordáin will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is, by law, responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including personnel matters and deployment of resources. The allocation of Garda resources is made in light of identified operational demand and as such, the Minister for Justice has no direct role in the allocation of Garda resources.

However, I am advised that the Dublin metropolitan region north has, as of 30 November, the latest date for which figures are available, a strength of 780 Garda members of all ranks. This is an increase of 112 members, or 16.8%, since the start of 2015. The division is currently supported by 68 Garda staff, an increase of 30, or 78.9%, since the end of 2015. The area referenced in the question is covered by Coolock Garda station. As of 30 November, there were 118 gardaí assigned to Coolock station, an increase of 14.5% since the end of 2015, when 103 gardaí were assigned to that station. Gardaí in Coolock Garda station are supported by 14 Garda staff members.

Budget 2022 funding will include provision for the recruitment of up to 800 new Garda recruits and 400 Garda staff. This increase in the number of Garda members and staff will deliver significant growth in operational policing hours nationwide and improve services to the public generally. Undoubtedly, the visibility of policing in our communities makes each of us feel safer on a daily basis. However, in parallel, this Government continues to prioritise supporting community engagement and services. These are central tenets of the community safety policy being developed by the Department of Justice. The recent budget 2022 allocation of €2 million to the community safety innovation fund and €7.6 million in support of the youth justice strategy will support local communities now to provide for a better future.

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