Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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548. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí tasked with co-operation with the European Cybercrime Centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49602/13]

Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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549. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí who have taken part in Europol's European cyber crime training and education group per annum from 2005 to date in 2013. [49603/13]

Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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550. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the cyber crime training courses for gardaí that have been developed at the Garda training college in Templemore, County Tipperary [49604/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 548 to 550, inclusive, together.

I have been informed by the Garda Commissioner that the Computer Crime Investigation Unit is part of the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation.

While the investigation of certain aspects of computer crime is undertaken directly by the Computer Crime Investigation Unit, the Unit also provides expert assistance to Senior Investigating Officers and Investigation Teams tasked with the investigation of this type of criminality on a District and Divisional basis.

There are currently twenty-five Gardaí allocated to the Computer Crime Investigation Unit.

The Computer Crime Investigation Unit liaise with the European Cybercrime Centre both directly and via the Europol Office at the Liaison & Protection Section at Garda Headquarters.

The European Cybercrime Training and Education Group (ECTEG) was formed in 2007 for the development and delivery of cybercrime training courses. Since its inception training courses have been successfully delivered by associated agencies and Member States including Ireland.

Two members of An Garda Síochána have been members of the board of the Group since its formation. To date twenty-eight members of An Garda Síochána have received ECTEG training in computer forensics and cybercrime investigations.

While no cyber crime training courses have been developed at Templemore for delivery to members of An Garda Síochána, members of the Computer Crime Investigation Unit have received cybercrime training courses delivered by a number of agencies including the following:

- CEPOL - European Police College

- OLAF – The European Anti-Fraud Office

- ECTEG - European Cybercrime Training and Education Group

- UCD Centre for Cyber Crime Investigation

- Masters in Forensic Computing & Cybercrime Investigation at UCD