Frank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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143. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the criteria required for the provision of a Garda station open for 24 hours per day; the policies that are in place on the opening hours for Garda stations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34611/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is primarily responsible for the allocation of Garda resources in the State and, as Minister, I have no direct role in the matter.

I have, however, been informed by the Garda authorities that Garda personnel assigned throughout the country, together with overall policing arrangements and operational strategy, are continually monitored and reviewed and are determined by a number of factors including population, crime trends and other operational strategies as dictated by the policing needs of each individual Division. Such monitoring ensures that optimum use is made of Garda resources and that the best possible Garda service is provided to communities.

The Garda authorities are satisfied that the existing station network continues to provide the necessary levels of policing services through a centralisation of services which in turn has facilitated the introduction of enhanced patrolling systems that are operational and intelligence led. This helps to ensure that a high visibility and community-oriented policing service continues to be delivered throughout Divisions nationwide and yields a number of benefits, including:

- increased Garda visibility and patrol hours;

- increased mobility and flexibility within an area resulting in an improved policing service to the public;

- enhanced co-ordination of Garda activity resulting in a greater visibility and presence in the communities;

- more effective use of finite resources across a wider area; and

- continued Garda presence in communities.

The Deputy will also be aware of the Government's commitments under the Programme for a Partnership Government. The Programme 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 visible, effective and responsive policing in every community, including the most minimal response times possible.

In line with the Programme's commitments, I have requested the Policing Authority to oversee a review into, amongst other things, the dispersal of Garda stations in rural areas. In this regard, I understand that the Authority has formally requested the Garda Síochána Inspectorate to examine the dispersal and use of resources available to the Garda Síochána in the delivery of policing services to local communities and to make recommendations to provide a more effective, visible and responsive policing service. I have also requested the Garda Commissioner, while fully cognisant of her statutory functions in relation to the distribution of Garda resources in the State, to identify 6 stations for reopening on a pilot basis and the outcome of this pilot scheme will feed into the wider review being overseen by the Authority.

I would also draw the Deputy's attention to the significant investment of some €46 million in the Garda Fleet under the Government's Capital Plan 2016 - 2021 which provides An Garda Síochána with additional high-powered vehicles, marked and unmarked patrol cars, and motorcycles to ensure that Gardaí can be mobile, visible and responsive on the roads and in the community to prevent and tackle crime. Indeed, since the beginning of the year, some 520 new vehicles have come on stream for use by An Garda Síochána.