John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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51. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of Gardaí in Dublin city and county and their shift patterns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23767/16]

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.

I have been informed by the Garda Commissioner that the number of Gardaí in Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) on the 31 May 2016, the latest date for which figures are readily available was 3,483 allocated as set out in the table below.

Members of An Garda Síochána who are on operational duties work a shift pattern which is broken down into early, late or nights over a roster which is a rolling 10 week period. In general members work 6 days on, 4 days off.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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52. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of community service gardaí based in Dublin city and county, including a breakdown according to division, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23768/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including Community Gardaí, among the various Garda Divisions and Districts. Garda management keeps 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.

I have been informed that as of the 31 May 2016, the latest date for which figures are readily available, there were 350 Community based Gardai assigned to Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) allocated as set out in the table beneath.

Of course, it is the case that all Gardaí have a role to play in addressing community policing issues as and when the need arises. In that sense, community policing involves far more than a single unit within An Garda Síochána, a point highlighted by the Garda Inspectorate in their third report entitled "Policing in Ireland - Looking Forward" in which they stated that community policing is a fundamental policing philosophy and that there is a strong foundation for it in Ireland. The Garda Commissioner's Modernisation and Renewal Programme 2016-2021, published on 9 June 2016, places a strong emphasis on developing and supporting the community policing ethos of the organisation and enhancing the current delivery model so that Gardaí spend more time in the community, gaining public confidence and trust and providing a greater sense of security. 

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 350 planned to be recruited during the remainder of this year. So far 534 of the new Garda trainees have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream uniform duties nationwide with another 150 more planned to attest in November.

The Programme for a Partnership Government recognises that community policing is the embodiment of An Garda Síochána, providing a means of recognising that every community – both urban and rural – has its own concerns and expectations. It commits the Government 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 to continue the ongoing accelerated Garda recruitment programme with a view to increasing Garda numbers to 15,000 as well as doubling the Garda Reserve and increasing the number of civilian staff so as to free up Gardaí for front-line policing. Community policing, and all other Garda activities, will undoubtedly benefit from the resources now coming on stream through the accelerated Garda recruitment programme.

*Fitzgibbon under renovation