Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

285. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí assigned to each Garda station in central Dublin in each of the years 2011 to 2016 and to date in 2017, in tabular form. [49358/17]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

287. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of additional gardaí that have been assigned to date in 2017 to the north inner city of Dublin. [49360/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 285 and 287 together.

As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who 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 Commissioner that on the 30 September 2017, the latest date for which figures are readily available, the strength of the D.M.R. North Central Division was 598 and the D.M.R. South Central Division was 605. There are also 37 Garda Reserves and 42 civilians attached to the D.M.R. North Central Division and 38 Reserves and 29 civilians in the D.M.R. South Central Division. When appropriate, the work of local Gardaí is supported by a number of Garda national units such as the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.

In addition, as part of the range of measures which have been put in place to tackle organised crime a new Garda Special Crime Task Force (SCTF) has been in operation in the Dublin  Metropolitan Region (DMR) since July 2016 and is focussing relentlessly on persons  involved in organised criminal activities. It operates in cooperation with other agencies including the Revenue Commissioners and Department of Social Protection  and has the benefit of the expertise of members of the Criminal Assets Bureau, Garda Divisional Asset Profilers, and the Garda Síochána Analysis Service. I am informed by the Commissioner that the SCTF as of September 2017 there are 5 Sergeants and 45 Gardaí assigned to the SCTF.

Further, the new dedicated Armed Support Unit for the Dublin Metropolitan Region was launched on 14 December 2016, and is now operational on a 24/7 basis. Members of the ARU are highly trained and equipped with a variety of non-lethal and lethal weapons and perform high visibility armed checkpoints and patrols throughout their respective Regions. I am advised that the number of Gardaí assigned to the ASU is deemed to be operationally sensitive and cannot be disclosed for security reasons.

I am further informed by the Commissioner that since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, close to 1,400 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide, 121 and 124 of whom were assigned to D.M.R. North Central Division and D.M.R. South Central Division respectively.  In addition, another 200 trainee Garda are scheduled to attest next month which will see Garda numbers, taking account of projected retirements, increase to around the 13,500 mark by year end - an increase of 500 since the end of 2016.

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 to deter crime.  The substantial increase in Garda numbers is tangible progress on achieving this Government’s vision of an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians.

I am pleased to say that Budget 2018 will support the continuation of this high level of investment in the Garda workforce and ensure that the vision of an overall workforce of 21,000 by 2021 remains on track. A further 800 new Garda Recruits will enter the Garda College, an additional 500 civilians will also be recruited to fill critical skills gaps across the organisation and to facilitate the redeployment of Gardaí from administrative and technical duties to front-line operational duties.  There are plans to strengthen the Garda Reserve with new Reserves expected to commence training early in 2018.

This focus on investment in personnel is critical. 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 needed to deploy increasing numbers of Gardaí across every Garda Division, including the D.M.R. North and South Central Divisions, in the coming years.

The number of newly attested Gardaí allocated to the D.M.R. North Central and South Central Divisions since the recommencement of recruitment and the number of Gardaí assigned to each Garda station in the D.M.R. North Central and South Central  Divisions in each of the years 2011 to 2016 and to date in 2017 is set out as follows.

NEW RECRUITS ASSIGNED TO DMR NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISIONS

GARDA STRENGTH OF D.M.R. NORTH CENTRAL DIVISION

GARDA STRENGTH OF D.M.R. SOUTH CENTRAL DIVISION