Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, I thank the Deputy for raising this matter in the House. As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible by law for the management and administration of Garda business, which includes the allocation of Garda resources. The Minister for Justice has no direct role in this operational, policing matter.

The Government is committed to creating stronger and safer rural and urban communities and a strengthened Garda Síochána is at the heart of that. The Department of Justice is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with an unprecedented allocation provided in budget 2023 of more than €2 billion. In addition to new recruits, the ongoing roll-out of the new Garda operating model will support the redeployment of gardaí from non-core duties to front-line policing. The new model will see larger divisions with more resources, increased Garda visibility in communities, a wider range of locally delivered policing services and a strong focus on community policing.

Mahon is currently serviced by Blackrock Garda Station. I am advised by the Garda authorities that Blackrock, Anglesea Street and Bridewell Garda stations are now incorporated under one functional area as part of the new Garda operating model, namely, Cork city centre community engagement. I am informed by the Garda authorities that, as of 31 May 2023, the latest date for which figures are available, there is one sergeant and 16 gardaí assigned to Blackrock Garda Station, two of whom are community gardaí. Additionally, support is available and provided as required from uniformed or plainclothes resources, or both, from the other Cork city centre community engagement stations, and policing of the area is covered on a 24-7 basis by a mobile unit attached to Blackrock. As of 31 May 2023, there were 705 Garda members assigned to the Cork city division and 112 Garda staff, representing increases of 8% and 90%, respectively, since the end of December 2015. This significant increase in Garda staff numbers enables the redeployment of Garda members from administrative duties to operational policing duties where their training and policing expertise can be employed to best effect.

In 2015, An Garda Síochána launched the highly successful Operation Thor, a nationwide operation established to tackle burglary and prosecute offenders. Operation Thor actively targets organised crime gangs and repeat offenders through co-ordinated crime prevention and enforcement activity based on intelligence and the latest burglary trends. Since its inception in 2015, burglary has been trending downwards, with overall reported burglary in 2022 45% lower than pre-pandemic levels of 2019. I am assured neighbourhood watch is active in the area and local gardaí attend the local community forums, where any issues are discussed in a proactive manner. An Garda Síochána also has a free property recording app. Should any items be stolen, the app provides a way of reporting this to An Garda Síochána and facilitates public sharing of information with the Garda for this purpose. The Department of Justice also provides funding to Muintir na Tíre to cover the costs incurred by community groups in administering the text alert scheme. Text alert enables communities to set up a group to receive alerts advising them of suspicious or criminal activity in their area. As well as ensuring awareness among users of the service, it can also lead to them reporting suspicious activity to the Garda. Further information on the property marking app, text alert schemes and other crime prevention information can be found on the Garda website at www.garda.ie.

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