Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 101: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of members of An Garda Síochána; the number of juvenile liaison officers and the percentage of the force this represents in respect of each year since 2002 and to date in 2007; the reason there has been no increase in the number of JLOs despite the increase in the overall strength of the force; his plans to increase the number of JLOs in view of the proven success of their work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22502/07]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 482: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform his plans to augment or upgrade the juvenile liaison officer service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22856/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 101 and 482 together.

I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that the number of Juvenile Liaison Officers in An Garda Síochána as of 30th June 2007 was 86 Gardaí and 8 Sergeants which represents .7% of the strength of the force. Of course, while these officers are dedicated to this service, a great many other Gardaí are engaged in liaising with juveniles on a day to day basis.

The number of dedicated Juvenile Liaison Officers as of 31st December in each of the years 2002-2006 was as follows:

The Commissioner has approved an additional 28 posts for Juvenile Liaison Officers (JLO) to be phased in over the next 4 years, commencing with the allocation of 7 JLOs planned for this year.

Garda personnel assignments throughout the Country, together with overall policing arrangements and operational strategy, are continually monitored and reviewed by Garda management. The purpose of this is to ensure that optimum use is made of Garda resources, and the best possible Garda service is provided to the general public.