Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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236. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to set out in tabular form the number of gardaí by rank and division in County Louth. [29080/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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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 the strength of Louth Division on 31 May 2018, the latest date for which information is readily available, was 312. There are also 23 Garda Reserves and 31 Garda civilian staff attached to the Louth 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 Armed Support Units, the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau and the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.

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. To achieve this the Government has put in place a plan for an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021 comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000 Reserve members and 4,000 civilians. We are making real, tangible progress on achieving this goal.

Since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, almost 2,000 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and have been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide including 76 to the Louth Division. Garda numbers, taking account of retirements, increased to 13,551 at the end of 2017 – a net increase of over 600 since the end of 2016.

I am pleased that funding is in place to maintain this high level of investment in the Garda workforce to ensure that the vision of an overall workforce of 21,000 by 2021 remains on track. This year a further 800 new Garda Recruits will enter the Garda College; some 400 of whom have already done so. In total, 800 Garda trainees are scheduled to attest during the year, 400 of whom have attested to date. Further, Garda numbers, taking account of projected retirements, are on track to reach 14,000 by the end of 2018.

In addition, a further 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 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 Division, including the Louth Division.

For the Deputy's information, I have set out in tabular form the number of Gardaí by Rank in the Louth Division as on 31 May 2018 the latest date for which figures are readily available, as provided by the Commissioner.

STRENGTH OF THE LOUTH DIVISION 31 MAY 2018

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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237. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to set out the number of gardaí by rank attached to the Garda national economic crime bureau as of 31 December 2016, 2017 and 22 June 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29119/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, the distribution of personnel is a matter for the Garda Commissioner and I, as Minister have no direct role in the matter. I am assured by the Commissioner that Garda personnel assigned throughout the country, together with overall policing arrangements and operational strategies, are continually monitored and reviewed. Such monitoring ensures that optimum use is made of Garda Resources and the best possible Garda service is provided to the general public.

I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB) (formerly the Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation) was established on 1 September 2016. The Bureau has dedicated expert staff, including professional forensic accountants, to address white collar and other fraud and economic crimes, and includes the restructured Garda Cyber Crime Bureau, the Money-laundering Investigation Unit and a new Foreign Bribery and Corruption Unit.

I am further informed by the Commissioner that as of 31 May 2018, the latest date for which figures are available there were 68 Garda and 17 Garda civilian staff assigned to the GNECB.

The Commissioner also advises that Garda management within the Bureau are working with local Garda management, at District and Divisional levels, to ensure the necessary tools and training are provided to enable and empower District and Divisional resources to investigate cases of economic crime at that level, with advice and guidance available from within the Bureau. The Bureau is now also placing a greater emphasis on ensuring that economic crime of lesser amounts that are currently reported to the Bureau are assessed and transmitted to District Officers for investigation, with more complex cases, routinely involving significant amounts, being investigated by the Bureau.

For the Deputy’s information I have set out in tabular form the number of Gardaí by rank and civilians by grade attached to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau as of 31 December 2016, 2017 and on 31 May 2018 the latest date for which figures are currently available, as supplied by the Commissioner.

Strength Of The Garda National Economic Crime Bureau by rank - formerly Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation 2016-2018

Civilian Strength by grade in the Economic Crime Bureau – formerly Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation 2016-2018

¹District Finance Officer