Dáil debates
Wednesday, 18 September 2019
Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate
Garda Resources
1:45 pm
Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and the staff of the Ceann Comhairle's office for affording me the opportunity to raise this issue which is of importance to the people of north Kildare, to wit, the urgent need for the augmentation of Garda strength in the constituency for which I speak. The constituency includes four large towns, each with a population approaching or in excess of 20,000, namely, Naas, Celbridge, Leixlip and Maynooth. A number of other towns in the constituency are growing rapidly as part of the effort to accommodate the need for housing. With this comes the necessity to augment Garda strength in all of the towns concerned for a great number of reasons. The first of these is the proposed new policing regime, which is the subject of some discussion and which we should welcome as it proposes deployments of a modern nature.
We must also accept that, as the population grows, petty and more serious crime can increase, as we know from other areas of the country. Recognising that fact, we have suffered a reduction in Garda strength throughout County Kildare in recent years. As with every other part of the country, we could do nothing about it and had to accept what was being applied everywhere else. However, the population in County Kildare is growing much more rapidly than most other parts of the country. In view of that, it is now important to prioritise the extent to which Garda strength can be augmented.
I should mention that I live in Maynooth, a university town, which has an additional 16,000 to 17,000 people during the academic year. That is not to suggest for one moment that the students are unruly or need extra policing. The fact, however, is that they add to the existing population, which creates a greater need for security to protect the increasing population. I do not wish to labour the subject other than to say that this is an urgent matter and I hope the Minister of State, who I am glad to welcome to the House, can address the issue in the short term.
David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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On behalf of the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, who sends his apologies, I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. I remind the House that, by law, the deployment of Garda resources is solely the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner and his management team. The Minister is assured, however, that the distribution of Garda resources is constantly monitored, taking into account all relevant factors, including population, as the Deputy outlined, and new and emerging crime trends.
The Minister emphasises that working with communities to tackle public disorder and reduce anti-social behaviour remains a key priority for the Garda. The Garda Commissioner has publicly spoken about the protection of the most vulnerable and has highlighted that his priority is a policing model that will provide the best outcomes for communities. This approach includes a strong focus on quality of life issues and collaboration with local authorities to help address the causes of anti-social behaviour.
The Deputy specifically mentioned County Kildare. The Minister is informed by the Garda authorities that, as of 31 August 2019, there were 393 gardaí assigned to the Kildare division. This represents a 9.2% increase on Garda resources allocated to this division since the end of 2017. There are also 17 Garda reserves and 35 Garda civilian staff attached to the Kildare division as of 31 August.
An Garda Síochána is a growing organisation. Since the reopening of the Garda College in 2014, approximately 2,800 new gardaí have attested and been assigned to mainstream policing duties around the country. Of these, 118 have been assigned to the Kildare division and 200 more gardaí are due to attest before the end of the year. At the same time, record levels of recruitment of Garda staff is allowing for the redeployment of gardaí to operational policing duties. As a result, there are now more than 14,200 gardaí nationwide, supported by more than 2,600 staff. This level of accelerated recruitment ensures that the Government's plan to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021, including 15,000 gardaí, remains on track. Additional recruitment of Garda staff will allow the Garda Commissioner to redeploy a further 500 fully trained gardaí from administrative duties to front-line policing in 2019. The Minister is of the view that the injection of this large number of experienced officers into the field, along with the new recruits, will provide the Commissioner with the resources needed to deploy increasing numbers of gardaí to deliver a visible, effective and responsive policing service to communities across all Garda divisions, including the Kildare division.
The ongoing process of Garda reform will also assist through efficiencies in a range of areas, including ongoing civilianisation, examination of non-core duties and reform of Garda structures. In practical terms, this will mean less duplication and bureaucracy at senior levels, more gardaí on the ground and chief superintendents with greater decision-making power in their divisions. It will also include a strengthened focus on community engagement. These positive developments are underpinned by unprecedented Government investment in An Garda Síochána, amounting to a budget of €1.76 billion for 2019, as well as €92 million capital investment this year. In addition, a total of €10 million has been made available for the purchase and fit-out of Garda vehicles in 2019. The Minister has been informed by the Garda authorities that this allocation will be used for purchase and fit-out of more than 300 new vehicles for operational use this year. As of 30 August, a total of 56 vehicles were allocated to Kildare, the division about which the Deputy inquired specifically. The Minister hopes that this information is of reassurance to the Deputy.
Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State and his colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, for the positive nature of the reply. One of the areas that needs to be emphasised is the need for juvenile liaison officers. Given that we have a large population of young people who are not going anywhere and will remain young for some time, it is necessary to introduce all the aids we can to assist the Garda in interfacing and interacting with young people who may be at risk of falling into crime, even if it is petty crime.
On community policing, there have been some recent additions in this regard in north Kildare, which I welcome. However, more community policing and a community garda is needed in every town and village. Continuity is also required. Special emphasis must be placed on areas where there have been repeated reports of anti-social crime. People in certain housing estates complain to us from time to time about this type of crime which, while petty in nature is hugely worrying for the people who live in them. While the crime is not serious, it shows disrespect for other people, many of whom are elderly, and their property. We need to reassure the general public that the establishment and the Garda are on their side and are ready, willing and able, with sufficient numbers and resources to attend to their queries as they arise. I hope it will be possible to augment Garda numbers in the way I have suggested as we proceed.
David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy again on behalf of the Minister for raising this important matter in the House. The Deputy noted the importance of juvenile justice. As I have stated previously in the House, I am responsible for national youth justice and I am developing a new national youth justice strategy. We have pulled together an advisory group, which is doing some very interesting work and examining different approaches and initiatives in this area.
At the heart of the concerns expressed today is the relationship between communities and their local gardaí and the Garda resources required in each division to provide an effective policing service. Clearly, Garda visibility is also very important and the Government remains 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.
Last month, the Minister welcomed the Garda Commissioner's announcement of the new operating model for An Garda Síochána, long-recommended by independent policing specialists, including the Garda Inspectorate and the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. The new model will bring very significant improvements to An Garda Síochána structures, processes and services. This will mean less duplication and bureaucracy at senior levels and chief superintendents will be given more decision-making powers in their divisions. The shifting of the power of decision-making from Garda headquarters to chief superintendents will bring the latter closer to the communities they serve, ensuring a more localised and responsive police service reflecting local needs. It will increase the number of front-line gardaí and maximise the organisation's operational impact at local level to deliver an improved, more consistent and highly visible policing service in communities. This delivers on some of the key recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, namely, that gardaí should be visible on the front line and engaged in community policing, as suggested by the Deputy.
The changes come at a time of record investment in An Garda Síochána: €1.6 billion has been allocated to the Garda Vote for 2019 as well as capital investment amounting to €92 million this year. An Garda Síochána is benefiting from enormous budgets. The purpose of this model is to ensure the best services are provided to communities on the ground. The substantial investment will allow the accelerated recruitment programme to continue in tandem with the deploying of new and leading edge technology to support our front-line gardaí in carrying out their work to deliver a visible effective and responsive police service to communities across all Garda divisions, including the important Kildare division in 2019 and future years.