Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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202. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the criteria under which the Garda reserves are deployed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40230/17]

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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203. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when the terms of using the Garda reserves was last reviewed; when the next review is scheduled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40231/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 202 and 203 together.

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. 

The Garda Reserve was established in accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005 to enhance the links between An Garda Síochána and local communities and consists of voluntary unpaid members, drawn from the community, to support the work of An Garda Síochána. The Reserve perform policing duties as determined by the Commissioner, while accompanied by full time Gardaí. Their role is to provide local patrols and participate in crime prevention initiatives targeted at specific local problem areas. Reserve members are also involved in policing major incidents and events, and in providing other operational support to full time Gardaí. In recent years, the Commissioner has conferred further powers on reserve members under the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 and the Road Traffic Act 1961 and has also decided that they should carry out more duties including the serving of summonses, and the issuing of Fixed Charge Penalty Notices where offences are detected.

The "Programme for a Partnership Government" includes a commitment to double the Garda Reserve to act in a supportive role undertaking local patrols and crime reduction measures. In line with this the Government has in place a plan to achieve a Reserve strength of 2,000 by 2021. This year, funding has been provided for the recruitment of 300 Garda Reserves and that process is well underway.

In conjunction with the major expansion of the Reserve over the next number of years we must ensure that it is used to optimum effect to support effective policing. To inform future decisions around the use of the Reserve An Garda Síochána is conducting a strategic review as a matter of priority with a view to completion before the end of this year. As a first step the Garda Executive has taken a decision to transfer the management of the Reserve from the Human Resource and People Development Directorate to the Assistant Commissioner with responsibility for Community Engagement. This is intended to ensure that its development and deployment is viewed more broadly through a community policing lens. This is a very welcome step as it is my strong view that the greatest dividend to be gained from the Reserve is in terms of a visible presence on the ground engaging with local communities.

The review will take cognisance of the changed environment in which the expanded Reserve will operate as the major reform programme that is underway is implemented. These reforms include the  drive towards a medium term target of 20% civilians by 2021 to boost the management capacity of the organisation and to free up Gardaí to front-line policing duties, and also the phased implementation of the Divisional model of policing to enable resources to be deployed more efficiently to prevent and detect crime.