Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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535. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the extent to which the various forms of reported crimes appear to be on the increase; if adequate resources remain available to her Department to confront such issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20835/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the deployment of Garda resources, including personnel in Garda Regions, Divisions, and Districts. I am advised that Garda management keep the distribution of resources under continuing review so that the best possible use is made of these resources. In this regard I am advised that local Garda management closely monitors crime trends and the policing needs of communities in each Garda Region and relevant operational strategies including patrols and checkpoints are put in place as necessary.

Insofar as the question of the available resources are concerned, since the resumption of Garda recruitment in September last year a total of 300 new recruits have entered the Garda College in Templemore and the Commissioner now has the capacity to deploy new Gardaí for the first time since 2009. The Government is committed to ensuring that recruitment to An Garda Síochána continues seamlessly and I have received sanction from the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform for further intakes of a total of 250 additional Garda recruits during 2015. Similarly, investments are being made in vehicles and IT, and in the recruitment of specialist professional staff. Policing and community safety will undoubtedly benefit from this injection of resources in all Garda Divisions.

While operational crime data is of course available to An Garda Síochána at all times, insofar as the official recorded crime statistics are concerned, the position is that responsibility for the compilation and publication of crime statistics is a matter for the Central Statistics Office, as the independent national statistical agency. As the Deputy may be aware, the CSO has previously indicated that it is carrying out a detailed analysis of certain issues raised by the Garda Inspectorate in relation to the recording, classification and reclassification of crime, to see whether and to what extent they may have implications for the crime statistics which that Office produces.This process is currently ongoing and the CSO has indicated that it expects to recommence publication by end June 2015.