Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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657. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality in view of the reduction in the number of gardaí available to police rural towns, such as those in Dromahair, Kinlough, Kiltyclogher, Glenfarne and Drumkeerin in County Leitrim, and as this reduction has left residents of these villages feeling vulnerable, together with the alarming rise in burglary rates, his plans to install cost-effective CCTV systems in these locations, similar to that already in place in Manorhamilton; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31831/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who 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.

Specifically with regard to personnel, I can confirm that this Government is committed to the recruitment of new 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. Overall a total of 550 new Garda recruits will have commenced training by the end of this year. On attestation, all new Probationer Gardaí are dispersed to Garda stations throughout the country, where they are assigned to mainstream policing duties; I am assured by Garda management that the needs of all Garda Divisions, including the Sligo/Leitrim Division, are fully considered when allocation newly attested Gardaí.

The latest figures to hand indicate that there are 97 members of An Garda Síochána assigned to the Leitrim Garda District. The efforts of these Gardaí assigned to the District are supported by ten members of the Garda Reserve and six civilian staff. When necessary, the work of the Gardaí in Leitrim District is augmented by a number of Garda national units such as the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), and the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB). Organised criminal activity is currently being targeted by An Garda Síochána on 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.

CCTV systems for the purposes of crime prevention and as aids to policing fall into two distinct categories - Garda CCTV systems and community-based CCTV systems. The CCTV system in Manorhamilton was established as part of the Community Based CCTV scheme which was launchedin 2005 and provided financial assistance to qualifying local organisations towards meeting the capital costs associated with the establishment of a local community CCTV system. Two rounds of funding were advertised under that scheme, most recently in 2007. All of the funding provided under the previous two rounds has been fully allocated.

I am, however, very conscious of the value that communities place on CCTV and with this in mind I am giving consideration to having a review of the effectiveness of current community schemes carried out in conjunction with the Garda authorities. The outcome of this review will inform future decisions on the continuation of the scheme.