Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister for Justice, I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I am very familiar with the disturbing news that has come from Longford in recent months. As he acknowledged, the allocation of Garda resources is an operational policing matter for the Garda Commissioner. Section 33 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005, as amended, provides for the Commissioner to determine the manner in which members of An Garda Síochána are distributed and stationed throughout the State, and the Minister has no statutory role in regard to this matter. She has been advised that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of policing priorities and crime trends to ensure their optimum use. I understand it is a matter for the divisional chief superintendent to determine the optimal distribution of duties among the personnel available to him or her, having regard to the profile of each area within the division and its specific needs.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that, as of 6 May 2022, resourcing in the Longford district comprises one superintendent, three inspectors, 13 sergeants and 79 gardaí, and that the majority of violent crimes occurring in the Longford district in the year to date have related to feuding families. Local Garda management has responded to the situation between the feuding families by establishing Operation Stola in April 2019 to accurately monitor, record and manage the feud. I am further advised 6,761 incidents have been associated with this operation and that all resources within the Longford district are actively targeting the issues surrounding the feud, with 206 arrests effected and 454 charges preferred. A total of 54 of the charges relate to violent crimes, including assaults, violent disorder and knife crimes.

More generally, I am aware An Garda Síochána in Longford is dealing with all reported crimes - antisocial behaviour and otherwise - within Longford district in an expedited manner. It is working closely with the victims of crime and the public in general to ensure it provides an efficient policing service to Longford. For its part, the Government remains committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with an unprecedented allocation provided in budget 2022 of more than €2 billion. This includes funding for the recruitment of up to 800 Garda members and 400 Garda staff this year. As the Deputy noted, the Minister engaged with community representatives during a visit to County Longford in February and is encouraged by the positive collaborative work emanating from Longford's pilot local community safety partnership. The partnership represents a significant element of the Government's new community safety policy, which facilitates formal collaboration by community representatives, local business and public service providers to tackle key issues identified by the community itself. The Longford partnership is subject to independent monitoring and evaluation throughout the life of the pilot, and learnings arising from its operation will inform its work into the future as well as the roll-out of partnerships nationwide.

The Deputy referred to the allocation of resources and gardaí to a town in north Dublin. I am sure that will be brought to the attention of the local Garda authorities. Situations such as the one the Deputy raised should be dealt with and should get the necessary resources, but that is a matter for the Garda authorities.

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