Dáil debates
Wednesday, 20 February 2019
Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate
Garda Deployment
3:15 pm
Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I assume the Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality, Deputy Stanton, is taking this matter. As a Deputy from Cork, he will be familiar with the constituency I represent – Cork South-Central. It is primarily an urban constituency and takes in the south side of Cork city. It includes some large suburbs that are growing rapidly such as Douglas, Carrigaline and Passage West.
The Garda district headquarters is located in Togher. It is the only 24-hour station in the Garda district. When the other Garda stations in the district are closed - that happens to be most of the time - all telephone calls are diverted to Togher Garda station. Stations in the other densely populated parts of the constituency such as Carrigaline and Douglas Garda stations have limited opening hours. They are not always open, even during the designated hours when they are meant to be open. That is because the gardaí who are on duty and meant to be in the station may be called away to an incident elsewhere in the district.
The general public draws confidence from a Garda station being open, ideally on a 24/7 basis. Garda management often tells me that it prefers to use resources for patrolling, rather than having gardaí within a station. I accept that is an operational decision for Garda management. However, I absolutely believe we need longer station opening hours within the Togher district in the main population areas and the suburbs about which I have spoken.
In the area I represent there have been a spate of burglaries. We have had organised gangs roaming through housing estates checking to see if cars are unlocked. If they are, they are stealing whatever they can from them. There has been damage caused to private and public property such as playgrounds in the area. Many people have captured footage on their private closed circuit television systems of people trying to open their vehicles or walking around to the side or the back of homes. A serious assault took place on the main street of Carrigaline last Saturday night and a man was seriously injured. I wish him well in his recovery. Many people have since been in touch to express real concern about the lack of a Garda presence in the area.
Garda management openly tells me that it simply does not have the resources to provide foot patrols. The days of gardaí walking along the streets in my area and perhaps elsewhere throughout the country seem to be gone. In Carrigaline where I live there is one community garda who is visible and out and about a good deal. The other gardaí simply do not have the time or resources to do so. They are stretched to breaking point. This has had a direct impact on morale within the force.
The issue of resources is key. Let us consider Carrigaline as an example. There are five units with two members each. There are three detective gardaí and three sergeants. On any given weekend night one unit of two gardaí may be serving the town. The reality is that they could be called away at any point. Frequently they are called away to another part of the Garda district to deal with an incident. We could as a result actually have no Garda presence within the town. We absolutely need longer station opening hours and more gardaí. People should not have to call to a Garda station on multiple occasions to have a form signed, yet that is the practice in my area which is rapidly expanding and experiencing high population growth.
I understand a new policing divisional model is being prepared. Extra resources have been requested for the area by Garda management. The Minister of State is the person responsible. I call on him to take up the issue with Garda management - the top brass within the Garda - and deliver extra resources to the area.
David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I apologise on behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality who is spending a good deal of time in the Seanad dealing with the Judicial Appointments Commission Bill. He asked me to stand in for him because he was unsure whether he would be able to make it and did not wish to delay proceedings. He has asked me to reiterate to the House that the deployment of Garda resources, including personnel, to specific areas is solely the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner and his management team. I imagine the Deputy appreciates this and that we can all appreciate we cannot interfere with that decision in any way.
The Commissioner has spoken publicly about issues such as protecting the most vulnerable. He has highlighted that his priority is a policing model that will provide the best outcomes for communities. The distribution of Garda resources is constantly monitored and a distribution model is used that takes into account all relevant factors, including population, crime trends and overall policing needs at local level. It is then a matter for the divisional chief superintendent to determine the optimum distribution of duties among the personnel available to him or her, having regard to the profile of the area and its specific needs. This applies equally in both rural and urban areas. I imagine the Commissioner and his management team will be noting what is said in this debate in the Chamber.
I emphasise that is not appropriate to simply determine the allocation of Garda resources on the basis of population size alone. This fails to take account of, among other things, the fact that crime levels and types can vary significantly in communities of similar population size. The Deputy will appreciate that an increase in the opening hours of any Garda station would necessitate the deployment of additional Garda personnel to indoor administrative duties. These gardaí may be employed more effectively on outdoor policing duties. The Deputy alluded to this point in his contribution.
The Minister has advised that the matter of opening hours of sub-district stations is subject to continual review and alteration by Garda management in the context of policing priorities and the resources available. The Commissioner has informed the Minister that on 31 January, the latest date for which figures are readily available, the strength of the Cork city division was 703, with 128 gardaí assigned to the Togher Garda district. There are also 38 Garda reserves and 80 civilians attached to the division. When appropriate, the work of local gardaí is supported by a number of Garda national units such as the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the armed support units, the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.
Since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, almost 2,400 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide. A total of 62 were assigned to the Cork city division, including 15 probationer gardaí assigned to Togher Garda station. The Commissioner has informed the Minister that it is his intention to recruit a total of 600 trainee gardaí in 2019, with a net total of 600 Garda staff. The recruitment of the additional Garda staff will allow the Commissioner to redeploy this year a further 500 fully trained gardaí from administrative duties to the front-line duties for which they were trained. The injection of this large number of experienced officers into the field, with the new recruits, will be beneficial in protecting communities.
The Commissioner has been provided with an additional €100 million in 2019, bringing his total budget to almost €1.8 billion. This substantial investment will allow the accelerated recruitment programme to continue in tandem with the deployment of new and leading edge technology to support front-line gardaí in carrying out their work in delivering a visible, effective and responsive police service to communities across all Garda divisions, including the Cork city division in 2019 and beyond.
3:25 pm
Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. Looking at the figures he provided, he said 2,400 new recruits qualified since September 2014, of which 62 were assigned to the Cork city division. This is the division representing the second largest city in our State. Some 62 out of 2,400 mean that less than 3% of the newly qualified gardaí have been assigned to the whole division of Cork which includes to the Togher district, and that includes places like Douglas and Carrigaline. We are not getting our fair share. Let us be honest about it.
The Minister of State said that the allocation of resources is solely a matter for the Garda Commissioner. Recently, the Minister for Justice and Equality visited west Cork and he was surrounded by Fine Gael Oireachtas Members and Fine Gael councillors.
Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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It included Deputy Murphy O'Mahony.
Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There were announcements by his colleagues on the reopening of Ballinspittle and that Kinsale Garda station would be manned 24-7, all coinciding with his visit. The reality is the Minister acts hand-in-glove with the Garda Commissioner and there is a tie-in there, about which there is no doubt.
Gardaí who have been assigned to the Togher district tell me that they are shocked when they compare the very limited resources in that area with resources elsewhere. There is no doubt that the Togher district, which includes those very large suburbs, is not getting a fair deal as to resources. There is a very real concern within those communities, and I am glad the Minister is here for the end of this debate.
The Minister might say he hears this everywhere but he should check it out. I assure him that he will find that that district is not getting the resources it should be getting. I accept population is not the only determinant but it is certainly a significant factor. This is an area of very rapid population growth and the suburbs are growing very quickly. We need more Garda visibility which we do not have. I ask the Minister to convey these views to the Garda Commissioner so that when he is making decisions on the allocation of resources, these points will be taken on board.
David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I assure the Deputy that the Commissioner notes what happens in these Houses as it relates to the Garda Síochána. His management team is concerned about any requests made here and takes them into account. I also assure the Deputy that working with communities to tackle public disorder and reducing anti-social behaviour remains a key priority for the Garda Síochána. Garda visibility is very important and the Government remains committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen the community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. The joint policing committees have a big role to play in this as well. They facilitate consultation, co-operation and discussion and they bring matters to the attention of gardaí at a high level locally, local authorities and elected local representatives. This active and constructive engagement is very important and should be encouraged and supported.
At the heart of the concerns expressed by the Deputy is the relationship between the communities and the local gardaí. That is very important. The Programme for A Partnership Government underlines the importance of community policing in responding to the concerns and expectations of urban and rural communities. The Government is fully committed to implementing that commitment and over the last few years, unprecedented resources have been made available to ensure that the Commissioner and his management team have the resources necessary to deliver a modern policing service to communities throughout the country, including the Togher district.
The Deputy can rest assured that the Garda Síochána will have noted to debate this evening, as it notes all these debates, and will make its decisions independently, as it is mandated to do.