Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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97. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the measures her Department is taking to ensure that gardaí have the necessary resources to combat and deal with rural crime in view of the increased number of robberies taking place in the Connemara region; the steps that have been taken to deal with this issue; the plans in place in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3859/17]

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 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 am informed by the Garda Commissioner that 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 Garda Division. It is the responsibility of the Divisional Officer to allocate personnel within his/her Division.

I am very much aware of the damage done to rural communities by organised gangs engaged in burglary and other property crime. 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. In this regard the Deputy will be aware that Operation Thor has been put in place to tackle burglary and related crimes, in both rural and urban areas. It is encouraging to note that since the launch of the operation in November 2015, the burglary figures have shown a significant downward trend. Indeed, the most recent CSO official recorded crime statistics for Q3 of 2016 show a decrease of 31% in burglary for the twelve months ending 30 September 2016 compared to the previous twelve month period. This reflects the success of the concerted Garda drive against crime being implemented under Operation Thor.

It is important we build on this success by ensuring that Garda numbers continue to increase. The moratorium on recruitment introduced in 2010 resulted in a significant reduction in the strength of An Garda Síochána. We are now rebuilding the organisation and providing the Commissioner with the resources she needs to allow her to deploy increasing numbers of Gardaí across every Garda Division, in the coming years. The Government has put in place a plan to achieve an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021, comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians. In 2017, funding has been provided for the recruitment of 800 Garda recruits and up to 500 civilians to support the wide ranging programme of reform which is being implemented in An Garda Síochána. In addition, approximately 300 appointments will be made to the Garda Reserve.

Since the reopening of the Garda College, 679 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide. I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that another 900 trainee Garda are scheduled to attest in 2017 which will bring Garda numbers to around the 13,500 mark by year end.

This investment in personnel is complemented by substantial investment in resources across the board for An Garda Síochána. The Deputy will be aware of the significant resources that have been made available to An Garda Síochána under the Government's Capital Plan 2016 - 2021. In particular, some €205 million in additional funding for Garda ICT and €46 million for new Garda vehicles has been allocated over the lifetime of the plan. This investment will facilitate the provision of more effective policing services and I have no doubt that these new resources now coming on stream will benefit all areas of Garda activity including addressing crime in rural communities such as Connemara.

In addition, An Garda Síochána works in partnership with a wide range of community based groups, including Community Alert and Neighbourhood Watch groups, to support enhanced community safety and with particular regard to the needs of those living in rural areas.