Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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593. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the current manpower and resources allocated to the Garda divisions in the constituency of Louth-East Meath compared to five years ago; the number of gardaí by location then and now; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30557/15]

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 resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Divisions and Districts, and I as Minister have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keep this distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the optimum use is made of these resources.

This Government is committed to the ongoing recruitment of trainee Gardaí, and to this end the first intake since 2009 of new recruits commenced training at the Garda College, Templemore, in September of last year. To date there has been four intakes of Garda Trainees into the Garda College, giving a total intake of 400. A further 150 recruits will enter college by year end, bringing total recruitment of Garda Trainees to 550. On attestation, new Probationer Gardaí are assigned to Garda stations throughout the country by the Garda Commissioner, where they are assigned to mainstream uniform policing duties. I am assured by Garda management that the needs of all Garda Divisions, including Louth and Meath, are fully considered when determining the allocation of newly attested Gardaí.

The latest figures to hand from the Garda authorities indicate that there are 280 members of An Garda Síochána assigned to both the Louth and Meath Divisions, respectively. This compares with 318 and 315 members assigned to those Divisions in September 2010. I have set out below the table of the detailed breakdown by station below. The work of these 560 Gardaí is supported by 80 Garda Reserve members and 47 civilian staff. The work of local Gardaí in Louth and Meath is augmented when necessary by a number of Garda national units such as the the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) and the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). Organised criminal activity is currently being targeted by An Garda Síochána across a number of fronts, including the use of focused intelligence-led operations by specialist units such as the Drugs and Organised Crime Unit and the Criminal Assets Bureau.

I have requested the information sought on resources allocated to the area concerned from the Garda Commissioner and I will write directly to the Deputy on receipt of same.

Meath Garda Division Sept. 2015

Meath Garda Division Sept. 2010

Louth Garda Division Sept. 2015

Louth Garda Division Sept. 2010