Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Clifford-Lee for raising this commencement matter. The Tánaiste unfortunately cannot be here and asked me to reply to the Senator.

The Senator will appreciate that the Garda Commissioner is primarily responsible for the effective and efficient use of the resources available to her, including with regard to Garda stations. As the Senator will be aware, the Garda Síochána district and station rationalisation programme gave rise to the closure of some 139 Garda stations, including Rush Garda station, in 2012 and 2013, following the completion by An Garda Síochána of a comprehensive review of its district and station network. The review was undertaken with the objective of identifying opportunities to introduce strategic reforms to enhance service delivery, increase effectiveness and streamline practices within the organisation. The Tánaiste has been informed by the Garda authorities that the closures have allowed front-line gardaí to be managed and deployed with greater mobility, greater flexibility and in a more focused fashion, particularly with regard to targeted police operations.

The programme for Government commits the Government to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and to deter crime. A cornerstone of this commitment is the Government plan to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians.

Revisiting the decisions made to close Garda stations at the depths of the recession is also part of the commitment. In this context, the Tánaiste has requested the Garda Commissioner, while fully cognisant of her statutory functions, to identify six stations for reopening on a pilot basis to determine possible positive impacts that such openings will have on criminal activity, with special emphasis on burglaries, theft and public order. The pilot will feed into the wider review being undertaken by the Garda Siochána inspectorate at the request of the Policing Authority of the use of resources available to An Garda Síochána in the delivery of policing services to local communities. I understand that work is continuing in An Garda Síochána to identify the six stations for inclusion in the pilot and that consultations have taken place with relevant stakeholders, including the Policing Authority.In this context, I am sure the Senator would agree that a comprehensive and evidence-based analysis should be carried out taking account of all the relevant factors before a final decision is made in respect of the stations to be reopened by the Commissioner. I also understand that the Tánaiste expects to receive a report from the Commissioner by the end of May in connection with the exercise.