James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter.

As he will be aware, under section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, as amended, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, which encompasses all operational policing matters, including the allocation of resources. The Minister for Justice has no statutory role in these operational, policing matters.

The Government and the Minister are conscious of the very serious impact that drug and gang-related violence can have on local communities. The ongoing disruption of the supply of all illicit drugs remains a priority for An Garda Síochána and the other State agencies tasked with responsibilities in this regard.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that two suspected firearms, ammunition and cash to the value of more than €47,000 were seized during a number of searches conducted by gardaí in the Finglas area on 10 February 2022, following a number of serious incidents related to ongoing criminal activity in the vicinity in recent weeks.

Daily reassurance patrols are being carried out in the Ratoath area in recognition of the importance of visible policing in the local community and gardaí in Finglas are in ongoing contact with Dublin City Council in relation to unoccupied housing and the potential use of same by criminal elements. A number of addresses have been taken possession of and boarded up by Dublin City Council at the conclusion of Garda searches.

The Government is committed to supporting a strong and visible police presence throughout the country to detect and prevent crime and to provide reassurance to local communities across the country.

An unprecedented allocation of in excess of €2 billion was provided in budget 2022 for An Garda Síochána, which includes funding for the recruitment of an additional 800 gardaí and up to 400 Garda staff. Many of the Garda members to be recruited will be drawn from the Garda recruitment competition that opened just last month.

As the Deputy will be aware, Finglas Garda station is located within the Blanchardstown district of the Dublin metropolitan region, DMR, west division. I am informed that, on 31 January 2022, the most recent date for which figures are available, there were 753 Garda members allocated to the DMR west division. This represents an increase of 6% since December 2018 when there were 709 gardaí assigned to the district. As of 31 January this year, a total of 342 Garda members were assigned to Blanchardstown district, with 98 members assigned to Finglas Garda station.

I am further informed that a competition for the community policing sergeant position is now completed and the appointment of a new sergeant is expected in the coming weeks.

While the Deputy will appreciate that the allocation of resources is an operational matter for the Commissioner, I am assured that the situation remains closely monitored by the Garda senior leadership team, particularly in view of commitments to the continued roll-out of the operating model of policing at divisional level to ensure optimum use of all Garda resources in providing the best possible Garda service to the community.

I reassure the Deputy that the Minister will continue to engage closely with the Garda Commissioner on this issue and all community safety issues in the context of prioritising the delivery of the suite of community safety commitments contained in the programme for Government and the justice plan of the Department.

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