Written answers
Wednesday, 1 March 2006
Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform
Garda Deployment
9:00 pm
Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 199: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of Garda hours which were dedicated to administrative work in each of the Garda stations (details supplied) over the same period; what the overall Garda hours amounts to in each station; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8569/06]
Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I have been informed by the Garda authorities, who are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, that the information requested by the Deputy is not readily available and can only be obtained by the disproportionate expenditure of Garda time and resources relative to the information sought.
Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 200: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of gardaí based at Garda stations (details supplied) over the past five years; and their rank within the Garda Síochána. [8570/06]
Michael McDowell (Dublin South East, Progressive Democrats)
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I have been informed by the Garda authorities, who are responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, that the personnel strength, by rank, of Donnybrook, Pearse Street, Irishtown, Harcourt Terrace, Rathmines, Terenure and Kevin Street Garda Stations as at 31 December 2001 to 2005, inclusively, was as set out in the tables hereunder.
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that during the period concerned the overall Garda strength of the seven stations in question rose by 8.6%, from 730 to 793.
| Donnybrook Garda station | |||||
| Rank | 31/12/01 | 31/12/02 | 31/12/03 | 31/12/04 | 31/12/05 |
| Superintendent | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Inspector | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Sergeant | 14 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 12 |
| Garda | 97 | 94 | 102 | 105 | 104 |
| TOTAL | 116 | 114 | 123 | 125 | 121 |
| Pearse Street Garda station | |||||
| Rank | 31/12/01 | 31/12/02 | 31/12/03 | 31/12/04 | 31/12/05 |
| C/Superintendent | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Superintendent | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Inspector | 8 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| Sergeant | 26 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 28 |
| Garda | 179 | 179 | 202 | 214 | 215 |
| TOTAL | 216 | 214 | 238 | 252 | 253 |
| Irishtown Garda station | |||||
| Rank | 31/12/01 | 31/12/02 | 31/12/03 | 31/12/04 | 31/12/05 |
| Inspector | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sergeant | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Garda | 43 | 39 | 46 | 48 | 47 |
| TOTAL | 54 | 49 | 55 | 57 | 56 |
| Harcourt Terrace Garda station | |||||
| Rank | 31/12/01 | 31/12/02 | 31/12/03 | 31/12/04 | 31/12/05 |
| Inspector | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Sergeant | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 7 |
| Garda | 70 | 68 | 65 | 67 | 66 |
| TOTAL | 80 | 79 | 75 | 77 | 74 |
| Rathmines Garda station | |||||
| Rank | 31/12/01 | 31/12/02 | 31/12/03 | 31/12/04 | 31/12/05 |
| Inspector | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Sergeant | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 |
| Garda | 70 | 58 | 62 | 62 | 61 |
| TOTAL | 81 | 67 | 71 | 72 | 70 |
| Terenure Garda station | |||||
| Rank | 31/12/01 | 31/12/02 | 31/12/03 | 31/12/04 | 31/12/05 |
| Superintendent | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Inspector | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Sergeant | 11 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 13 |
| Garda | 50 | 64 | 70 | 75 | 80 |
| TOTAL | 66 | 84 | 87 | 91 | 97 |
| Kevin Street Garda station | |||||
| Rank | 31/12/01 | 31/12/02 | 31/12/03 | 31/12/04 | 31/12/05 |
| Superintendent | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Inspector | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Sergeant | 18 | 19 | 17 | 14 | 15 |
| Garda | 93 | 91 | 93 | 98 | 100 |
| TOTAL | 117 | 117 | 117 | 119 | 122 |
It is the responsibility of the divisional officer to allocate personnel within his or her division. The allocation of such resources throughout the division is determined by a number of factors including demographics, administrative functions, crime trends and other operational policing needs. Garda management continues to appraise the policing and administrative strategy employed within each division with a view to ensuring an effective Garda service is maintained.
The time scale for achieving the target strength of 14,000 members of the Garda Síochána, in line with the commitment in An Agreed Programme for Government, remains as when I announced the Government approval in October 2004 for my proposals to achieve this objective. The phased increase in the strength of the Garda Síochána to 14,000 will lead to a combined strength of both attested gardaí and recruits in training of 14,000 by the end of this year.
As part of the accelerated recruitment campaign to facilitate this record expansion, 1,125 recruits were inducted to the Garda college during 2005. The college will induct a further 1,100 recruits this year and again in 2007, by way of intakes to the college of approximately 275 recruits every quarter. This project is fully on target and will be achieved. I am informed by the Garda authorities that the first incremental increase of newly attested gardaí due to the programme of accelerated recruitment into the Garda Síochána will take place on 16 March.
The Garda Commissioner will now be drawing up plans on how best to distribute and manage these additional resources and, in this context, the needs of the Garda stations referred to by the Deputy will be fully considered within the overall context of the needs of Garda divisions throughout the country.
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