Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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108. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if his attention has been drawn to the inadequate staffing levels at the Garda Information Services Centre; and if his attention has been drawn to the fact it has been the subject of discussions between his Department and the Commissioner. [29378/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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The Garda Information Services Centre (GISC) is a contact centre for operational members of An Garda Síochána. After an incident, Gardaí contact GISC on mobile phones instead of returning to their station to record the case details. They give the details to trained civilian call-takers who enter the details on the PULSE system. GISC was established on a pilot basis in September 2005 and rolled out nationally by October 2006. The objectives of GISC are to increase Garda visibility, reduce Garda administrative workload and improve the data quality on PULSE. GISC is located in Michael Davitt House, Castlebar, and operates on a 24/7 basis. In addition to taking calls from Gardaí, GISC personnel also take Traffic Watch calls from the public and administer the on-line reporting of theft in order to enable its investigation by Gardaí.

I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that as of 30 April 2017, the most recent date for which figures are available, the total staffing of GISC was 187.2 full-time equivalents. The office is fully civilianised.

The Deputy will be aware that as part of its Five Year Reform and High-level Workforce Plan for An Garda Síochána, the Government has agreed an overall vision for a Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 to include 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Garda Reserve members and 4,000 civilians. The projected number of 4,000 civilians will effectively double the current figure on an incremental basis and represents a medium-term target of a Garda organisation 20% comprised of civilians. That will bring An Garda Síochána, currently 14% comprised of civilians, more in line with international norms and ensure that trained Gardaí are not engaging in administrative and technical duties which could be done by suitably qualified civilian staff. The 20% target will be achieved through a twin-track approach of, firstly, a “civilian by default” policy to be adopted in relation to the filling of all new posts other than operational policing posts and for non-operational policing posts that become vacant and, secondly, the redeployment of Gardaí and backfilling by suitably qualified civilians where necessary.

As a first step in this process, funding for the recruitment of up to 500 civilians has been provided in Budget 2017 to facilitate the Commissioner in addressing capacity and critical skills gaps across the organisation including in corporate supports, change management, human resources and financial management at the national, regional and Divisional level. To date, the Policing Authority (with the consent of the Department of Justice and Equality and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform) has approved 137 of these positions, of which 34 relate to GISC including 3 Assistant Principal Officers, 2 Higher Executive Officers, 12 Executive Officers and 17 Clerical Officers. The recruitment of these sanctioned posts is in train.

The Assistant Principal roles were sought to fill vacancies in operationally critical roles. The remaining posts were sought in order to expand the capacity of the unit in order to roll out the recording and classification of all PULSE incidents centrally at GISC. This requirement arose from a recommendation in the Garda Inspectorate report 'Changing Policing in Ireland' in order to improve the consistency and quality of data collected, which contributes to the accuracy of crime statistics. This methodology has been piloted successfully at GISC. The implementation of this process across all areas of the country is an essential element to contribute to the improvement in the quality of the crime statistics. Clerical Officers working in GISC perform the call taking function, they work a 24/7/365 roster.