Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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16. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if her attention has been drawn to the severe reduction in number of Gardaí for the Dublin Central Area, 65 in Store Street and 300 overall; her plans to address this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1320/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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One of my priorities is to maintain and enhance the capacity of An Garda Síochána to protect the public, and in particular to prevent and detect crime. It is true that Garda strength has been affected by retirements, and that is why I was very pleased to be able to secure approval for the resumption of Garda recruitment. As the Deputy will be aware, 100 new recruits entered training at the Garda College in Templemore in September 2014, the first intake of Garda recruits since 2009 . This was followed by an intake of a further 100 new recruits in December. A further intake of 100 is due to enter training at the end of this month. This will bring to 300 the number of recruits in the Garda College since last September and is a measure of this Government's commitment to the Garda Síochána. The first intake of recruits will attest as members of the Garda Síochána in May of this year and will be assigned to Garda Stations by the Garda Commissioner.

It is of course a key objective of the Garda Commissioner to allocate all of the resources at her disposal in a manner which maximises their impact on the protection of the public and on the prevention and detection of crime. In that context, Garda management keep under continuing review developments in relation to security assessments, crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of resources.

As part of this strategy, Garda management recognise the importance of responding to new and emerging crime trends and related issues. A recent example of a proactive Garda response is the coordinated approach being taken in the Dublin City centre area in which Gardaí are acting in close cooperation with Dublin City Council, the Homeless Executive and the HSE to address a range of issues, including the anti-social behaviour in the City Centre area. I fully support the steps being taken by An Garda Síochána in cooperation with other stakeholders, and I am confident that policing measures such as these, in Dublin and across the country, will make a significant contribution to public safety.