Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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46. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality what equipment and technology is being introduced to support members of An Garda Síochána in their roles; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55136/23]

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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As we acknowledge the growing complexity in maintaining law and order, the role of An Garda Síochána becomes even more crucial. We have learned there are plans to introduce new equipment and technology to aid our gardaí in their duties. It is clear that these advancements will undoubtedly boost their efficiency and effectiveness. Will the Minister provide us with more detail about these technologies and the impact they expect to have?

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Over the last four budgets I have been focused on consistently ramping up and providing funding when it comes to equipment, uniform, vehicles and new types of technology for An Garda Síochána. I want to continue to ramp up that support so they can do even more. The budget for next year is €2.3 billion, an increase of 23% since 2020. This further allows for: the roll out of the highest number of mobility devices ever, allowing all gardaí to conduct their tasks outside the station and not have to return to the station; the provision of more than 3,400 Garda vehicles, a 31% increase since 2015; major investment in new and refurbished stations; and importantly in the context of digital transformation we are trying to ensure an increase in the digital capital investment and IT, with €155 million allocated for that. The strategy, supported through the €155 million, reflects the recommendations in the Report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, and ensures that ICT will continue to support and transform An Garda Síochána’s capabilities.

The active mobility apps allow members to access their emails on the move, check a vehicle’s history and tax status and work more efficiently with local business and community groups. All Garda members now have mobile devices with real-time access to apps, eliminating a huge amount of paperwork and allowing gardaí to carry out their front-line duties more efficiently.

The Government has also invested in the purchase of a new Garda helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft. I understand that procurement of these is progressing well and they will become operational over the next 12 to 18 months. These major investments will support the air support unit in its important work combating criminal activity to protect the public. It is important we have the most up-to-date technology, including aircraft.

Following the riot in Dublin on 24 November, the Commissioner has consulted senior management, looking at the equipment routinely used in policing serious public order incidents, what equipment the Garda has and how it could be strengthened. This includes the deployment of tasers.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for her response on this important issue and her hard work on increasing the budget allocated to An Garda Síochána. It is welcome. An issue for communities I represent concerns rural crime and An Garda Síochána's security and intelligence capabilities, referenced in the future of policing plan. What additional supports can we provide for counterintelligence efforts and measures against cybercrime? It is important we have measures in these areas. We saw recently in the riots in Dublin that counterintelligence, when mobs look to assemble, would enable us to act swiftly through a central intelligence agency to counteract their efforts.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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More broadly, An Garda Síochána is moving to a digital structure, which did not exist previously. I acknowledge there has been a huge amount of change in a short time. The new computer-aided dispatch, CAD, system, GardaSAFE, is operational across all regions and is a new departure in the way gardaí respond to calls in which information has been taken and stored. This move is helpful and useful.

On rural crime, Operation Thor was launched in recent years to respond to burglaries. It uses intelligence-led Garda work to identify trends, patterns and statistics to respond effectively to criminals. It is important to have this type of technology. Through Operation Thor, there has been in recent years a significant reduction in burglaries in rural areas, particularly in the winter months between October and March.

Operation Táirge, launched yesterday to look at retail crime, will allow gardaí to use online resources to collate information and data, so when a person is arrested for theft and brought before the courts, it is not only that one case that an individual Garda member might have been dealing with that is brought to court but a number of incidents gathered using the technology now available. It is important we invest in information technology to give gardaí the ability to identify trends, gather data and use it to effectively and proactively police and respond to trends and crimes.

Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I welcome the expansion of areas the Minister did not mention, such as the Garda dog unit, the provision of tasers to the public order unit and the improved public order equipment in vehicles. These are important areas, along with the new legislation for the provision of body-worn cameras.

Facial recognition technology will be beneficial. Will there be a pilot scheme to assess its relevance or efficiency, given the sensitivity of the data involved? Will the Minister update the House on that? We need to tread carefully and conduct thorough research before implementing a widespread programme.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In relation to body-worn cameras, the legislation was signed by the President on 5 December and the Garda will be rolling out proof of concept in three areas of the country. That will be followed by a pilot later in the year where we will then have the tender process. Technology is important for gardaí to protect themselves, record scenes accurately and, when at the scene of a crime, record what happens immediately afterwards. If they are in the midst of an incident such as the riots we saw two weeks ago, they would be able to accurately reflect through the cameras what is happening.

The facial recognition technology, FRT, legislation was approved to go to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel for drafting today. It will go to the committee for pre-legislative scrutiny and we will make sure any legislation brought forward around FRT is compliant with human rights, data protection and privacy rights. Just as there will be pilots for the body-worn cameras, we need to make sure any application of FRT is done in such a way that we can see how effective it is and whether any changes need to be made. That would include a pilot scheme as well. All of this is moving. It is positive and shows how technology, when monitored and put in place effectively, can support gardaí in their work and make sure they are as effective as possible in responding to crime.