Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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54. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her views on the importance of community engagement and community policing as major factors in determining confidence in policing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27378/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I strongly support the principle of Community Policing and the development of partnerships between An Garda Síochána and local communities.

The Garda National Model of Community Policing plays a key part in responding to crime and encouraging community engagement by taking into account and responding to local conditions and needs, and all Gardaí have a role to play in Community Policing in carrying out their duties. In addition, the National Community Policing Office captures best practice in community policing initiatives and disseminates these practices through its communication network.

An Garda Síochána'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, including the introduction of multi-skilled Community Policing Teams in every Garda District.

As part of the Community Policing approach Gardaí engage with a wide range of local groups, including informal community groups as well participating in more formal structures such as Joint Policing Committees. In addition Gardaí support in excess of 3,700 Neighbourhood Watch and Community Alert groups established countrywide. Guidelines for the establishment and operation of such partnership initiatives, including Text Alert groups have been published by An Garda Síochána.

The Garda Text Alert Scheme is a particularly successful example of Community Policing in action with over 960 local groups in operation, involving in excess of 164,000 subscribers and with an estimated 3 million text messages sent annually. I am informed that every Garda Division, rural and urban, now offers the Text Alert service.

I was very pleased to secure more than a doubling of the funding available to my Department for initiatives such as Community Alert this year, and I was particularly pleased to announce recently the provision of €100,000 in 2016 for a rebate of costs incurred by local Text Alert Groups. This rebate scheme is available to all Text Alert Groups registered with An Garda Síochána and is being administered by Muintir na Tíre who already support the national and regional operation of the Community Alert programme. I believe it is only right that we recognise the considerable efforts involved in organising local groups and make a contribution to the costs which have, up to now, been borne entirely from voluntary contributions.

The ongoing development of Community Policing and partnerships between communities and their local Gardaí is underpinned by the Government’s commitment to increase Garda numbers to 15,000 through further recruitment into An Garda Síochána. This process will involve the recruitment of some 3,200 new Garda members on a phased basis over the next four years, to ensure that the service is renewed and has the capacity to provide visible, responsive and effective policing to every community throughout the country.

Shane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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55. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality her plans to increase the number of community gardaí in the Meath Garda division. [27396/16]

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 and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. 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 August 2016, the latest date for which figures are readily available, there were 780 Community Gardaí assigned to Garda Divisions throughout the country. Of these 11 were assigned to the Meath Division. It is, of course, 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.

Community policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána. It provides a means of recognising that every community – both urban and rural – has its own concerns and expectations. In this regard I welcome the strong emphasis placed by the Commissioner's Modernisation and Renewal Programme 2016-2021 on further developing and supporting the community policing ethos of the organisation so that Gardaí spend more time in the community, gaining public confidence and trust and providing a greater sense of security. Proposed initiatives include the establishment of local Community Policing Teams (CPTs) headed by an Inspector and made up of Gardaí from across a range of areas to proactively work with the community to prevent and detect crime; and the establishment of Community Safety Fora in every District comprising local Gardaí, local communities and key stakeholders.

The implementation of these initiatives will be supported by the Government's commitment to ensuring a strong and visible police presence throughout the country. This will be achieved though continuing 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. Taking account of projected retirements, reaching a strength of 15,000 members will require some 3,200 new Garda members to be recruited on a phased basis over the next four years in addition to the 1,200 that will have been recruited by the end of this year since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014. So far 534 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream uniform duties nationwide. Community policing, and all other Garda activities, will undoubtedly benefit from these resources now coming on stream.

In order to continue to ensure seamless ongoing recruitment I was very pleased to announce the commencement of a new recruitment campaign on 8 September. The campaign is being organised by the Public Appointments Service on behalf of the Commissioner. Applications must be made through .The existing recruitment campaign (launched last November) is ongoing and successful candidates will continue to be called from that campaign this year and into next year. It is expected that successful candidates from the new campaign will enter the Garda College from mid-2017.

The Government is also committed to prioritising community crime prevention schemes. My announcement last week at the National Ploughing Championships of a doubling of the funding for the Community Alert Programme to €350,000 which will go directly to local groups is a tangible expression of this commitment to supporting a partnership approach to crime prevention between local communities and An Garda Síochána.