Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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65. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality when recruits in the Garda station in Swords, County Dublin will complete their studies; if she will retain these recruits in Swords; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18746/16]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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66. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of members of An Garda Síochána who are available to man patrols from the station in Swords, County Dublin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18747/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 66 together.

As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of personnel among the Garda Regions, Divisions and Districts. Garda management keep this distribution under continual review taking into account crime trends and policing priorities so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of these resources. In regard to the deployment of Garda personnel, a distribution model is used which takes into account all relevant factors including population, crime trends and the policing needs of each individual Division. It is the responsibility of the Divisional Officer to allocate personnel within his/her Division as appropriate.

I am assured by the Garda Commissioner that personnel assigned throughout the country, together with the overall policing arrangements and operational strategies are continually monitored and reviewed. Such monitoring ensures that optimum use is made of resources and the best possible policing service is provided to the general public.

Swords Garda station is situated in Coolock Garda district, which in turns forms part of the Dublin metropolitan region (DMR) North. I have been informed by the Garda Commissioner that the distribution of members of An Garda Síochána in DMR North on 30 April 2016, the latest date for which figures are to hand is as shown in the table below. The DMR North Division is also supported by 55 members of the Garda Reserve and 40 civilian staff. All Divisional resources are further augmented by a number of Garda national units such as the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau, the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) and other specialised units.

As the Deputy will be aware, when the financial crisis hit, the Government of the time introduced a moratorium on recruitment and the four year National Recovery Plan, published in 2010, envisaged a steady reduction in Garda numbers. Thankfully, in a recovering economy, we were able to reopen the Garda College in September 2014, and a total of 851 Garda trainees have been recruited with a further 300 planned to be recruited during the remainder of this year. So far 463 of the new Garda trainees have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream uniform duties nationwide. Another 76 will attest on 7 July with 150 more to attest in November. I am assured by the Commissioner that the needs of all Garda Divisions are fully considered when determining the allocation of newly attested Gardaí and that so far this year 35 newly attested Gardaí have been assigned to the DMR North Garda Division.

This Government is committed to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country in order to maintain and strengthen community engagement, provide reassurance to citizens and deter crime. Key to achieving this goal is the commitment in the Programme for Government, "A Programme for a Partnership Government" to continue the ongoing accelerated Garda recruitment programme with a view to increasing Garda numbers to 15,000.

Taking account of projected retirements, the current rate of recruitment will bring Garda numbers to around the 13,000 mark this year. We must, I believe, endeavour to make more rapid progress than this to reach our target of 15,000 and I am engaging with my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, in relation to increasing the planned annual intake this year and in coming years.