Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 205: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the extra number of gardaí and other resources which have been made available to combat street violence in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35943/05]

Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I am informed by the Garda authorities that the personnel strength of the Garda Síochána as at 31 October 2005 was 12,312. This represents an increase of 207 in the personnel strength, all ranks, of the Garda Síochána as at 31 October 2004.

In relation to Garda resources generally, the accelerated recruitment campaign to reach a record force strength of 14,000, in line with the commitment in An Agreed Programme for Government, is fully on target. This will lead to a combined strength, of both attested gardaí and recruits in training, of 14,000 by the end of 2006.

Combating street violence, whether through community policing or through the wider use of Garda resources, is a core objective of the Garda Síochána. As the Garda Síochána policing plan for 2005 acknowledges, it is a specific Government policing priority for the Garda Síochána to continue to focus on crime prevention and reduction. In the achievement of this and other priorities, it is the responsibility of each divisional officer to assign personnel within his or her division to specific duties to ensure that the optimum use is made of all available resources and that the best possible Garda service is provided to the public.

In this context, I strongly support specialised and focused Garda operations, such as Operation Encounter, to counter late night disorder and I remain determined that the resources of the Garda Síochána and the criminal justice system in general are used effectively to combat street crime.