David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Flanagan, sends his apologies. The Cabinet is still in session and he is in attendance. I thank the Senator for raising this matter.

As the Senator will appreciate, the allocation of all Garda resources, including personnel, is strictly a matter for the Garda Commissioner and his management team. The Minister has no direct role in this regard. The Minister is informed by the Garda Commissioner that in regard to the deployment of Garda personnel, a distribution model is used that takes into account all relevant factors including population, crime trends and the policing needs of each individual Garda division, including the Limerick division, with a view to providing an effective and responsive police service.

The Minister is of course very much aware of the impact of crime such as burglary and theft on local communities in rural areas like east Limerick. The Minister assures the Senator that An Garda Síochána is committed to a vigorous and comprehensive response to this type of criminal activity, which ingrains fear in our local communities.The scale of Garda activity against burglary and property-related crime under Operation Thor has led to concentrated Garda activity resulting, as of 30 November 2018, in more than 168,600 targeted checkpoints and 243,200 crime prevention patrols nationwide. This concentrated policing activity has produced in the region of 8,830 arrests and 10,143 charges covering a range of offences which, in addition to burglary, include handling stolen property, possession of firearms and drugs offences.

The area referred to by the Senator forms part of the Limerick division and the Minister is informed by the Commissioner that the Garda strength of the Limerick division on 30 October 2018, the latest date for which figures are readily available, was 580. There are also 26 Garda reserves and 54 Garda civilian staff attached to the division. In addition, when appropriate, the work of local gardaí is supported by a number of Garda national units such as the national bureau of criminal investigation, the armed support units, the Garda national economic crime bureau and the Garda national drugs and organised crime bureau. The Minister is further informed by the Commissioner that since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, 2,400 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána, of whom 35 have been assigned to the Limerick division. Garda numbers, taking account of projected retirements, are expected to increase to around the 14,000 mark by year end. This focus on investment in personnel is critical. The moratorium on recruitment introduced in 2010 resulted in a significant reduction in the strength of An Garda Síochána. The Minister is now rebuilding the organisation and providing the Commissioner with the resources to increase Garda numbers and activity in order to tackle and prevent crime in all our communities, including east Limerick.