Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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107. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if all Garda divisional areas have a full time crime prevention officer; and if not, the divisions currently without a crime prevention officer. [14372/17]

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 all members of An Garda Síochána promote crime prevention and reduction and that there are dedicated Crime Prevention Officers (CPOs) within each Garda Division. These CPOs are trained to encourage, promote and advise on crime prevention to both the private and business community. These specially trained officers are skilled at identifying risk factors and advise on what mitigating action can be taken to reduce opportunities to commit crime. A list of these Crime Prevention Officers is available on www.garda.ie.

In addition, a number of general crime prevention leaflets are also available on the Garda website which provide advice on a range of topics from personal to home security.