Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 15: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he has undertaken a detailed analysis of the Garda to person ratio to ensure every region in the State has appropriate policing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34580/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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It is the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner to assign members of the Force throughout the country. In doing this he takes into account all relevant factors, including of course population but also including other factors such as crime rates and trends as well as operational priorities. The attested strength of An Garda Síochána as at the 30 November 2007, the latest date for which figures are readily available was 13,780. In addition 1,043 student Gardaí were at various stages of their training on that date making a total of 14,823. The attested personnel strength of the Garda Reserve as at 30th November 2007 was 171 with a further 98 in training.

It is anticipated that approximately 1,100 Student Gardaí will be attested to the Force during 2008. The significant increase in the strength of the Garda Síochána has meant that, despite the increase in population, the ratio of Garda to population has increased significantly.