Barry Ward (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agar a Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, cuirim fáilte roimh an Áire ar an obair seo go háirithe. I echo what the Minister said about recognising the contribution members of the Garda Reserve make. As a society, we can be very proud that there are so many individuals who are willing to do work that is unpaid and monetarily unrewarded, albeit that it comes with its own reward. Those people who step up, volunteer, put themselves forward for the Garda Reserve and are willing to walk a beat, lend a hand or be an extension of the long arm of the law, if I can put it in those terms, need to be recognised. The Minister mentioned some of the ways they can be recognised. I have heard both sides of that coin. Some reserve gardaí feel they are not particularly respected by full-time members of An Garda Síochána. I have also heard of some who had a tremendously positive experience of the work they have done. By the same token, and on the other side of the coin, some members of An Garda Síochána place great stock in the assistance members of the Garda Reserve provide to them.Others perhaps doubt the efficiency or efficacy of the Garda Reserve. Whatever the case, I welcome what the Minister said about the fact the Garda Reserve forms a part of the Government strategy to improve policing in this country.

As the Minister said, this debate has been called for by Senator McDowell on a number of occasions. I also acknowledge the role he played in the establishment of the Garda Reserve. Whether a person is a serving member of An Garda Síochána, a member of the Garda Reserve, a prospective member of the Garda Reserve or an ordinary citizen like most of us, we must be able to recognise the added value the Garda Reserve can bring. I am not 100% sure it has brought that or has been allowed to bring that so far.

Numbers started out when the reserve was originally set up in 2006 at in excess of 1,000 or 1,200 and have gone down quite substantially to maybe one quarter of that. I welcome what the Minister said about a recruitment campaign to go into that. I also welcome and acknowledge what the Government has done in terms of funding and supporting An Garda Síochána and the €2.14 billion budget allocation for An Garda Síochána this year, which is a tremendously important commitment to policing in Ireland and consistent with the policy objectives of the Government in terms of improving policing. Of course, nearly €1.4 million of that is for the Garda Reserve.

We must also recognise how the Garda Reserve can be of assistance. Another programme was included in the budget. Without going into great detail about the expansion of An Garda Síochána, I welcome the commitment to increase Garda numbers. I have said on a number of occasions that we cannot have a garda on every street corner or everywhere we go. In fact, we do not want that either because that amounts to a police state and that is not where we want to go. However, we do need to have a critical mass of members of An Garda Síochána to make sure policing is effective at present. We need to do that as much so that people do not have the experience of calling the Garda and then waiting for a prolonged period for a member to actually turn up. This is one of the ways in which we can expand the reach of An Garda Síochána. The other factor for this year that was mentioned specifically in the budget last year was the civilianisation of certain functions within An Garda Síochána and the provision of 400 extra civilian staff who can do some of the administrative duties that come with being a member of An Garda Síochána.

The reality is that we as a State and Government invest enormously in the training and expertise of members of An Garda Síochána, such as their training in Templemore and with other agencies, including international agencies, so that they are experts in their field and can deliver the service we all hope and expect from them on the ground. It is wasteful to spend all that time and money training those people and then have them sitting behind desks in a Garda station, wherever that might be. The reality is there is a role for those civilians to be at that desk to carry out the administrative functions. I know from my own professional work with gardaí in the criminal courts the amount of time that is spent by uniformed members, if I can put it that way, dealing with the administration of going to court or filling out documents and statements, etc., in preparation for court. All of that is work that can be helped and improved by civilians.

By the same token, the reach of the garda on the beat can be expanded by having a Garda reservist with him or her. Therefore, instead of having two fully trained, experienced gardaí on the beat, have one and have a Garda reservist assisting and being with him or her. This increases the visibility, which is almost half the battle in policing. We know crime is reduced when there are more gardaí on the beat. We know that is the case because, notwithstanding all the talk about the importance of disincentivising crime, the reality is that if people think there is a Garda presence or that they will be apprehended and caught involved in criminal activity, they are much less likely to engage in it. It is a function of human nature that if we think we are going to get caught, we will not do something wrong. That is the primary principle underlying the increased visibility of policing. We see it on roads. Everybody who drives, whether they are speeding or not, slows down when they see the Garda car. That is the impact of that kind of visible policing. The same is true in areas where there is antisocial behaviour and in which there are increased burglaries. I also recognise that burglaries have fallen in the past year. When there are gardaí on the street, however, it is positively reflected in the crime statistics for that area. One of the key functions members of the Garda Reserve can have is to expand that remit of An Garda Síochána to allow its members to be in more places than their numbers allow, particularly at peak times or at large events that require particular policing. We could match a Garda reservist with a full-time, fully attested uniformed garda and in that way expand hugely the reach of An Garda Síochána. I agree with what the Minister said, however. There is huge scope here although we need to work on it. I welcome the recruitment campaign the Minister mentioned, which I hope will expand the functions of those who are willing to volunteer.