James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach.

On behalf of the Minister, Deputy McEntee, I thank the Senator for raising this important issue on antisocial behaviour. It is a matter that is important to Senator Maria Byrne, who has raised it on a number of occasions.

The Government recognises the great harm that can be done to communities living with antisocial behaviour. We are committed to ensuring that antisocial behaviour is tackled head-on and that An Garda Síochána is provided with the necessary resources to do so.The Senator will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is responsible under law for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, which includes the planning and deployment of Garda resources in response to crime trends. The Minister for Justice has no role in such directions.

Prioritising visible policing in rural and urban communities will ensure community policing is at the forefront of our police service and an integral strand of our social contract with the public. An Garda Síochána continues to implement high-visibility policing plans to address public disorder related issues and antisocial behaviour, with a particular overt and targeted policing of public places at times when public order incidents and antisocial behaviour typically increase. For example, An Garda Síochána has put in place Operation Citizen in Dublin city centre which is aimed at reassuring the public that Dublin city is safe through high-visibility patrolling, particularly at hot-spot locations and also through community engagement. The Garda mobile unit was located on O'Connell Street last weekend. This was well received and I understand this will continue for the duration of the operation.

I am, of course, aware of recent incidents of antisocial behaviour on public transport. A key element of An Garda Síochána 's community policing role involves ongoing, extensive Garda engagement with transport operators and a range of regional and local operations have been put in place to address the antisocial behaviour incidents on public transport that have occurred in recent times.

I am pleased that budget 2022 provided an unprecedented allocation of over €2 billion in funding, reflecting the commitment of the Government to ensuring our communities are safe and that An Garda Síochána has the necessary resources for effective policing. I am happy to confirm that 450 gardaí will be recruited by the end of this year and that funding provided for next year fully supports the sustained recruitment of Garda members and staff, with provision for the recruitment of an additional 800 Garda members and 400 Garda staff in 2022, amounting to an additional 1,200 personnel. The 400 additional Garda staff are very important in that their recruitment will allow for gardaí deployed to administrative duties to be returned to operational duties. Approximately 800 gardaí have been already moved from administrative to operational duties. As I said, the additional 400 Garda staff will help further that aim. This increase in the number of Garda members and staff will deliver significant growth in operational policing hours nationwide and in improved services to the public generally. Redeployment of gardaí from administrative and support roles will also continue next year.

The Senator will be aware that the Garda Commissioner is also introducing a new Garda operating model designed to make each division the central unit of policing administration as the current smaller district model is struggling to deal with the modern crime environment. This model will provide a more comprehensive and inclusive policing service and will help further strengthen the focus on community policing. We can all be very proud of An Garda Síochána, which has been operational since the foundation of the State. It is a community-based policing service, which came to the fore during the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of being absolutely instrumental in ensuring that our communities were protected and that the more vulnerable were looked after.

I welcome the budget 2022 allocation of €2 million to the community safety innovation fund. The intention is that the operation of the fund will be reviewed and that further allocations will be part of the normal budgetary process. This fund will be open to bodies involved in community safety and will support them in addressing local needs and opportunities for innovation not provided for in other funds managed by Departments and agencies.