Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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11. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of community gardaí in the Dublin region compared with in 2019. [17754/24]

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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How many community gardaí are there in the Dublin region compared with in 2019, pre-pandemic?

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. Community policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána and all gardaí have a role to play in community policing in the course of carrying out their duties. Community policing is also fundamental to the new Garda operating model that is being rolled out throughout the country and has been fully commenced in 13 Garda divisions. The new model will provide more front-line gardaí and increased Garda visibility and will deliver a wider range of policing services for people in their local area. It will divide service delivery within divisions into four functional areas, one of the most important being community engagement. This will allow for a greater, more consistent focus on community policing in all divisions.

The Garda authorities have advised me that a member of An Garda Síochána can be deemed to be a community garda where that person has been allocated to a community policing team, CPT, and is responsible and accountable for applying a problem–solving approach to appropriate crime and policing quality-of-life issues in a specified geographic area through partnership and engagement. Examples of this engagement are working with neighbourhood watch, community alert or local business forums.

Community policing teams strategically manage and lead the development, delivery and evaluation of the Garda community policing framework. Like most Garda members, those assigned to CPTs have dual functions. In addition to their strategic roles in their community policing teams, part of which requires them to regularly update their community engagement superintendent on the policing needs of their community, they are also front-line members. Moreover, CPTs draw on all front-line gardaí to carry out community policing.

I very much welcome the new interactive map launched recently on the Garda website, which is designed to allow the public to identify the local CPT in their area. This map will continue to develop in line with the continued roll-out of the new Garda operating model.

Budget 2024 provides over €2.35 billion to An Garda Síochána. As of 31 March 2024, 384 community gardaí had been assigned in the DMR region. This represents an increase of more than 35% since the end of December 2023, when 284 community gardaí had been assigned. The figure of 384 is out of an overall figure of 707 community gardaí in the country.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State. He will get a chance to come back in.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I do not have the 2019 figure.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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Okay. We were one minute and 50 seconds into the answer and I was just waiting for the statistics. The Minister of State does not have the 2019 figure, which is a disappointment because I am trying to assess where we are now versus where we were pre-pandemic. In any event, the Policing Authority published an assessment of policing performance today and indicated cuts to community policing are a matter of genuine concern. It stated:

While there is a strong trust and confidence in the Garda Síochána within local communities, negative perceptions persist, particularly among young people and minority communities. Enhancing community policing and addressing visibility challenges are crucial for fostering positive community experiences.

I asked the Minister of State a straight question, to compare where we are now with where we were in 2019, and it is a disappointment he cannot give me an answer. I do not think it is fair to equate where we were during the pandemic, and I am trying to get a sense of what the numbers are. I hope he can help me out with that.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I apologise to the Deputy and I will certainly undertake to get those figures for him because it was a straight question and the figure has not been provided. I agree community gardaí are essential. In terms of understanding local communities, while all gardaí are community gardaí, having dedicated community gardaí is essential to building up those relationships and a sense of trust in working with the local communities and also to being a point of contact when issues arise. Furthermore, it helps us understand what the real levels of crime might be in an area rather than simply the level of reported crime. They have a good understanding of where hotspots are and where issues are arising and can work with the local community. I certainly agree with the Deputy on the importance of those local community gardaí when they are assigned to particular areas and in working with other Garda members. Moreover, when other aspects of the Garda Síochána might be coming into an area, such as the emergency response unit or regular policing units, they can talk to the community gardaí, work with them in the context of what they are getting into and avoid upsetting the local community.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Go raibh maith agat.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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There is no more important garda than the community garda in breaking down antisocial behaviour, fostering relationships, breaking down intergenerational distrust and breaking down the distrust that young people and migrant communities tend to have of An Garda Síochána. The Policing Authority spoke today about cuts in community policing. The Minister of State cannot provide me with the figures now. He will get them for me, which is fine, but if a Deputy submits a blunt oral question comparing today with 2019, the answer should be to hand. That said, the Policing Authority believes that a strategic workplace plan is important for the Garda to address issues around community policing. Has the Minister of State read the report? Does he agree with what the authority had to say? Does he believe that the numbers involved in community policing need to be increased? We cannot address antisocial behaviour, anti-migrant sentiment, hate crime, knife crime or any of the other issues constantly raised on the law and order agenda or break down misconceptions about law enforcement and what the State does unless we foster the unique and special relationship between the individual garda and young people, school communities and wider communities.

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I fully agree with the Deputy. I spoke with communities in Dublin recently about ensuring consistency in who their community gardaí are, as there can be a high turnover due to gardaí moving on. We do not see the same level of turnover among juvenile liaison officers, who view their role as a longer term position. This issue can be examined to ensure consistency.

The Deputy is 100% right that the community garda is the most important garda. Community gardaí are the linchpins and connecting points between what the rest of the force is doing and the community. It is about building trust. I support this model and will continue to push the matter with the Garda Commissioner. Obviously, this is an operational issue for him, but it is critical, given the trust engendered in communities by working with various groups.