Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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302. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will ensure that more gardaí are visible on the beat and not in Garda stations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44249/14]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of personnel, including community Gardaí, among the Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. Garda management keep this distribution under continuing review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of these resources.

I have however been informed by the Garda Commissioner that the personnel strength of An Garda Síochána on 30 September 2014, the latest date for which figures are readily available, was 12,861. There are also 1,112 Garda Reserves and over 2,000 Civilians.

The key objective of the station closures in 2012 and 2013 was to promote the more efficient and effective deployment of resources. In this context the Commissioner concluded that Garda resources could be better deployed and more effectively used on the frontline if these particular stations no longer had to be staffed and maintained. The Commissioner estimated that there are 61,000 more man hours available for frontline services following the station closures.

There are currently over 2,000 full-time-equivalent civilian support staff in the Garda Síochána. Civilian staff provide vital support services in a wide range of areas, such as human resources, training and development, IT and telecommunications, finance and procurement, internal audit, research and analysis, accommodation and fleet management, scene-of-crime support and medical services. In doing so, they release highly trained Gardaí from administrative tasks to operational policing.

The Haddington Road Agreement provides that a Review of An Garda Síochána will be undertaken to “review and make recommendations on the use by An Garda Síochána of the resources available to it, with the objective of achieving and maintaining the highest levels of efficiency and effectiveness in its operation and administration". The review which is under way will provide an opportunity to consider the scope for further civilianisation in An Garda Síochána. It is expected that the review will be completed at an early date.

One hundred (100) new recruits commenced their training in the Garda College on 15 September 2014. Furthermore, the process of recruiting 200 new additional Gardaí to the force will continue over the next few months.

The first batch of recruits will attest as members of the Garda Síochána in May of 2015 and will be assigned to Garda Stations throughout the country by the Garda Commissioner.