Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for taking this topical issue on the need for additional Garda resources for County Meath. To cut to the chase, I very much appreciate that the Minister is dealing with the macro issue of putting more gardaí into the system and ensuring the security of our country is strengthened even further. One of the key tenets of the confidence and supply agreement was to ensure an increase in Garda numbers to 15,000. It was good to see in the budget that resources allowing for an additional 800 gardaí have been provided.

When it comes to crime, I know that no matter what Deputy stands in front of the Minister, he will share the sentiments expressed, regardless of the county of origin of that Deputy. There is a particular case to be made for Meath, however. It needs special attention, both from the management of the force itself and the political body here in Dáil Éireann. Owing to the trend of commuting to Dublin from surrounding counties, the population explosion in Meath has been quite pronounced. My topical issue centres on how we are responding to extreme pressures in one area when additional resources become available and on how we spread them accordingly. With the population explosion in Meath comes pressure on housing, infrastructure, health services and jobs. Crime, however, has really spiked in the county over the past year in both urban and rural settings. It needs to be tackled before it takes root.

These issues were raised by me in the Dáil previously and raised directly by me with the then Commissioner, Ms O'Sullivan, at a meeting of the Committee of Public Accounts before the summer break. I outlined to the former Commissioner some horrendously violent attacks on a business owner in Navan. Footage was captured on a mobile telephone and subsequently replayed on social media. It was also captured by all the national newspapers. News cycles move on, of course. After the summer recess, at the end of September, I attended one of our regular policing meetings with the chief superintendent in Meath. Statistics showed that crime levels had greatly increased in Meath over the past year. Property theft was up by a whopping 59%. Thefts in shops were up by 44%, and criminal damage was up 31%. Property crime was up by 39%, with 1,359 incidents reported up to September. The rate of assault also increased.

The chief superintendent, Mr. Fergus Healy, who came into the job only last year, has been exceptional and really excellent in analysing the threats from gangs coming in from Dublin on the motorway system, attacking areas such as Enfield, Navan, Ashbourne, and Oldcastle. The chief superintendent needs help, however, and he has said that. Just last week, ten additional gardaí were deployed in Meath. They were pictured in this morning's Meath Chroniclewith the chief superintendent. Some 12 were deployed earlier in the year but the 22 gardaí that came in allow us only to stand still. There are 313 gardaí in the county, which figure places us below the national per capitaaverage. The chief superintendent attended a public meeting on policing this night last week in Trim. Quite candidly and openly, he said we need additional resources above and beyond this allocation to have a fair chance of tackling the threat. He said we have to fight for our resources in Meath and that one cannot go to the table unless one has facts and figures. He said that, certainly in Meath, the figures stand out and tell their own story. The chief superintendent, Mr. Fergus Healy, a professional, is making the case for our county. Since he made that statement at a public meeting this night last week, it is naturally incumbent on me to fight his corner and that of the people of Meath in the Dáil this week. I ask the Minister to ensure Meath can get the manpower required and the tools the gardaí need to do their job. He should act not only on my words this evening but also on those of the chief superintendent, who is also crying out for help.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The Government is committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. To make this a reality for all, the Government has in place a plan to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021, comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Garda Reserve members and 4,000 civilians.

As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda divisions and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that in regard to the deployment of Garda personnel, a distribution model is used that takes into account all relevant and appropriate factors, including population, crime trends and the policing needs of each Garda division, including the Meath division, with a view to providing an effective and responsive police service.

I acknowledge what the Deputy said, particularly in reference to the growing population in Meath. He makes a good point in that regard. I am informed by the Commissioner that the Garda strength of the Meath division on 31 August 2017, the latest date for which figures are readily available, was 295. There are also 17 Garda Reserve personnel and 28 civilians attached to the division. When appropriate, the work of local gardaí is supported by a number of Garda national units, such as the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau. I am further informed by the Commissioner that, since the reopening of the Garda College in Templemore in September 2014, close to 1,400 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide. Forty-six of these have been assigned to the Meath division. In addition, another 200 trainee gardaí are scheduled to attest later this year, which will see Garda numbers, taking account of projected retirements, increase to around 13,500 by the end of the year, an increase of 500 since the end of 2016. I am pleased to say that budget 2018 will support the continuation of this high level of investment in the Garda and ensure that the vision of an overall workforce of 21,000 by 2021 remains on track.

In 2018, a further 800 new Garda recruits will enter the Garda College. An additional 500 civilians will also be recruited to fill critical skills gaps across the organisation and to facilitate the redeployment of gardaí from administrative and technical duties to front-line operational duties. We need to ensure gardaí are doing on a daily basis work they are trained to do, namely, Garda work. There are plans to strengthen the Garda Reserve, with new reserves expected to commence training early next year. The focus on investment in personnel is critical. The moratorium on recruitment introduced in 2010 resulted in a significant reduction in the overall strength of An Garda Síochána. We are now rebuilding the organisation and providing the Commissioner with the resources needed to deploy increasing numbers of gardaí across every Garda division, including the Meath division, over the coming time.

Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate that the Commissioner is the person in charge of the deployment of resources. I acknowledged that at the outset. The Minister appreciates that decisions we take here on a planning matter create the communities we live in, particularly the very big communities that were created in the greater Dublin area. That is the case I was making. I was echoing what the chief superintendent said at a public forum last week and seeking to have his words acted upon.

I have raised this issue directly with Acting Commissioner Ó Cualáin when he was before the PAC a few weeks ago. I showed him the front page of that morning's Meath Chronicle, whose headline screamed "Shock Rise in Crime Stats in Meath". I have written to him separately so he knows the score. This evening I would like the Minister for Justice and Equality to back the chief superintendent and the people of Meath in this cause.

One big concern is that any new gardaí coming into Meath will immediately be gobbled up by the big population centres in Navan and Ashbourne. I can understand that. I am from Navan. I know the pressure the area is under and I want to see boots on the ground to reassure the citizens of my town but I am also acutely aware of the serious threats in rural parts of my constituency such as Oldcastle and Athboy that do not have a full-time police presence. Even a growing town like Enfield that has a population of 4,000 only has three gardaí and up the road in Longwood there is only one. That highlights the need for additional resources above and beyond the allocations that are happening at present because if the current level of deployment is deemed acceptable then the opportunity to establish a proper police force in growing areas such as Enfield or rural areas such as Oldcastle or Athboy will never happen.

The issue of resources I raise is not just one of personnel, it is one of physical resources also. In that respect, there is a real need for a new divisional headquarters in Meath and that has been raised by Garda management in Meath also. Consultation is taking place with the local authority to identify a site and a site has been found but we need the OPW to be proactive given its responsibility in terms of the site. Will the Minister use his good offices to try to get the OPW to make progress on this as a matter of urgency, to ensure progress is made on the site and that the new divisional headquarters is built in Meath? The Garda need such physical resources to be able to do its job as well.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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In response to the latter point I would be very happy to speak to my Government colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Kevin Boxer Moran, on that issue. I will revert to the Deputy in early course.

I mentioned earlier the Government's plan for an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 by 2021. That is complemented by substantial investment in resources across the board for An Garda Síochána. I have secured a total budget of €1.65 billion for An Garda Síochána for 2018, an increase on 2017. It should be noted that the Garda allocation continues to benefit substantially from the significant additional funding that was provided in 2016 and maintained in 2017 to fund the sustained response to tackle gangland crime, to fund the continuation of Operation Thor and to ensure that measures to prevent international terrorism can be continued actively.

Some €330 million, including more than €200 million under the capital plan, is being invested in Garda ICT infrastructure over the period 2016-21. That major investment will allow An Garda Síochána to deploy the latest cutting-edge technologies in the fight against crime. We will facilitate progress on important reforms arising from the reports of the Garda Inspectorate on the matter of crime investigation. The capital plan 2016-21 provides for an investment of €46 million in the Garda fleet to ensure An Garda Síochána has a modern, effective and fit-for-purpose fleet. That is in addition to the investment of almost €30 million in the period 2013-15.

I acknowledge the importance of the issue raised by Deputy Cassells. The investment I spoke about will facilitate the provision of more effective policing services and it is to be expected that the Meath division, like all other Garda divisions, will benefit from the new resources becoming available.