Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of active Gardaí at the moment and a breakdown per county on the numbers of the Gardaí in each area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40312/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I have been informed by the Garda Commissioner that as of the 31 August 2012, the latest date for which figures are readily available, there were 13,531 Gardaí, just over 1000 Reserve Gardaí and over 2,000 civilian staff in the Garda Síochána. A breakdown of Garda strength in each Garda Division is in the table attached. The Deputy will note that some Garda Divisions cover two counties and in some counties there is more than one Garda Division. The figures in this table refer to assigned strengths and do not include national units such as the National Bureau of Criminal Investigations or the Garda National Drugs Unit.

The Deputy will be aware that the Commissioner is responsible for the detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, throughout the organisation and I have no direct function in the matter. This allocation of resources is constantly monitored in the context of crime trends, policing needs and other operational strategies in place on a District, Divisional and Regional level to ensure optimum use is made of Garda resources and the best possible Garda service is provided to the public.

The table is available as attachment Q314.xls at the top of the web page.