Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I was prompted to raise the issue of Garda stations in County Meath by a petition some constituents from Dunboyne sent to me. It is not the first time I have raised the issue of Garda resources in my constituency in response to a petition.

I acknowledge the great work gardaí do day to day in my constituency in the fight against crime and dealing with serious accidents. There was a serious robbery in Bettystown last night and I know from one of the victims that the gardaí did an amazing job. That incident, however, highlights some of the issues I am raising.

There have been improvements in Garda numbers in Meath since the new division of Meath was created, after splitting the Louth-Meath division. There are still towns, however, such as Stamullen and Ratoath, without Garda stations while Dunboyne and Duleek need improved facilities and 24-hour cover. All of the towns I have mentioned were small villages that have grown hugely in recent years and are now big towns. There is a perception in some of these towns that the lack of a Garda presence or 24-hour cover makes it easier for burglars and robbers to exploit them. People worry that they are more likely to be victims of crime if there are no Garda stations in the town in which they live. I wonder if the Minister might do some research into that. If it is not true, we could allay people's fears.

The perception certainly exists for my constituents, however, particularly those in Dunboyne who have contacted me recently. Previously I have raised the concerns brought to me by residents groups in Stamullen and Duleek. Despite the hard work of the well known gardaí in Duleek, people believe further resources are necessary.

My constituent who wrote to me stated with regard to Dunboyne that there has been a large increase in crime, particularly breaking into houses and cars, vandalism, robberies and violent attacks. She said that with a significantly larger population the area needs a full-time Garda station and that local people are concerned about this and feel vulnerable. According to my constituent, the robbers are aware of the situation and exploit it fully — sometimes people must wait an hour for a Garda response as a squad car could easily be 20 miles away responding to another call. There is plenty of time for the robber to take what he wants comfortably and leave without being intercepted.

That is the perception in the constituency and I would like the Minister to carry out research to see if the facts bear that out. We should deal with these issues on the basis of facts. The perception, however, exists and it is up to us to address it.

In fairness to the gardaí, there have been significant improvements in services and initiatives such as Community Alert and Neighbourhood Watch are massively important and very popular. I recently spoke at the launch of Beauparc-Yellow Furze community alert in my constituency and the event was very well attended, while a similar launch in Stamullen attracted large numbers.

The gardaí in Meath are well attuned to the needs of the community but they need further resources. To give confidence to these communities and discourage criminals, a programme of Garda station building should be undertaken and those Garda stations that are not fit for purpose should be removed and replaced, while those Garda stations that are not open 24 hours should be opened all day. Not alone would such a programme benefit communities and the gardaí who serve them, but they would also result in employment in the construction industry that is badly needed.

Gardaí are needed on the beat, and that is where they want to be, but the physical presence of a station is very important for a growing community and acts as a deterrent to crime.

Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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In accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005, proposals on the opening and closing of Garda stations are matters for the Garda Commissioner in the context of the annual policing plans. In this regard, significant developments have been under way in the Garda Síochána to re-align Garda divisional boundaries to make them coterminous with local authority boundaries. One of the main aims of this project is to bring about greater efficiencies and effectiveness in facilitating the establishment and functioning of the joint policing committees.

These boundary changes have had significant positive impacts in County Meath in particular, with the establishment of a new Garda division in the county in June last year. As part of the work of establishing the new division, a detailed analysis of the policing needs of the county was carried out, including an assessment of crime trends, population levels and policing requirements. This analysis resulted in a re-alignment of the geographical areas of district and sub-district stations of the new division and the establishment of a new Garda district of Laytown. This new district has been operational since 1 January this year.

In conjunction with the establishment of the new division, there has also been a significant increase in the number of Garda resources allocated to the division. The total personnel strength of the Meath Garda division on 28 February 2009 stood at 307. This represents a significant increase of over 16% since the start of 2008. In addition, a significant number of civilian staff are assigned to the division.

Garda personnel assigned throughout the country, together with overall policing arrangements and operational strategy, are monitored and reviewed by the Garda Síochána on an ongoing basis. Such monitoring ensures that optimum use is made of Garda resources, and that the best possible Garda service is provided to the public.

Engagement with the community is a key priority of the Garda Síochána and this objective extends well beyond the physical presence of the Garda station, important though that is. In this regard, any proposal to increase the number of Garda stations in the county would be incompatible with contemporary policing policy as it would result in valuable Garda resources being diverted from outdoor, operational policing to indoor administration duties.

With regard to accommodation matters generally, the Garda Commissioner has established a Garda accommodation programme board, under the chairmanship of the chief administrative officer, to prepare a long-term accommodation strategy for the organisation. This strategy will address a number of areas including the identification of future accommodation needs with particular reference to policy and policing requirements and taking into account international trends and perspectives. It will also assess current buildings and facilities including their condition, location and development requirements. The accommodation requirements for County Meath will be fully considered in this regard.

I fully understand Deputy Byrne's point because County Meath has changed in recent years from being a rural area to being a suburb of Dublin, with a huge increase in population and a need for more gardaí and Garda stations. While constituents like to have a Garda station nearby, they are often not the relevant factor. The important thing is the ability of gardaí to come to the scene of a crime when they are needed, rather than a garda sitting in the station who cannot come out because he cannot leave the station unattended. The new division in Laytown will lead to better policing.