Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality his views on the recruitment of civilians to the Garda Communications Centre, Garda Command and Control, a recruitment competition for these positions was undertaken and completed last year, yet as of March 2013 up to 30 Gardaí are reportedly still working in Garda Command and Control, this is not the best use of limited resources, as these Gardaí could be better utilised by undertaking normal policing duties. [15787/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I am wholly supportive of the release of Gardaí from administrative duties to frontline and operational policing. 32 positions were identified in the Garda Communications Centre in Harcourt Square as suitable to be filled by civilian staff and in March 2011, following an interdepartmental competition the first 18 Clerical Officers were assigned as Call Takers into the Centre. Following a further interdepartmental competition, the remaining Clerical Officer posts have been offered to the successful candidates and they are due to commence on Monday 29 April 2013. There are currently a total of 48 Garda members in the Command and Control Centre broken down as follows:

The recruitment competition to civilianise Garda positions in the Garda Communications Centre was in respect of emergency call taker positions. The Garda dispatcher function was not identified for civilianisation and is presently carried out by Gardaí.