Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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13. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of new Garda recruits assigned to County Kildare in the past five years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29662/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I should say at the outset that the distribution of Garda personnel is exclusively the statutory responsibility of the Garda Commissioner.

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 31 May 2018, the latest date for which figures are readily available, the strength of the Kildare Division was 365. There are also 18 Garda Reserves and 30 civilians attached to the 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.

As I have stated in the House on other occasions the 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 make this a reality for all, the Government has in place a plan for an overall Garda workforce of 21,000 personnel by 2021, including 15,000 Garda members.

I am informed by the Commissioner that 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, of whom 93 members have been assigned to the KildareDivision. 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.

As the Deputy will be aware, the increase in Garda numbers last year represented the first significant increase since numbers started falling in 2009 and this has driven the level of recruitment that has seen the number of Gardaí assigned to the Kildare Division increased from 301 to 365, an increase of 64 or 21% as of 31 May, the latest dates for which figures are readily available, as compared to the end of 2014.

Funding is in place to ensure that the 2021 vision of an overall workforce of 21,000 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 2018, 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.

Undoubtedly, the investment in resources and the ongoing recruitment process will support all Garda activities and enable the Commissioner to provide additional resources to all Garda Divisions, including the Kildare Division in the coming years.

In so far as the allocation of newly attested Gardaí is concerned, this is a matter for the Commissioner.  I am assured by the Commissioner that the needs of all Garda Divisions are fully considered when determining the allocation of resources. However, it is important to keep in mind that newly attested Gardaí have a further 16 months of practical and class-room based training to complete in order to receive their BA in Applied Policing.  To ensure that they are properly supported and supervised and have opportunities to gain the breadth of policing experience required, the Commissioner's policy is to allocate them to specially designated training stations which have the required training and development structures and resources in place, including trained Garda tutors and access to a permanently appointed supervisory Sergeant who is thoroughly familiar with their responsibilities under the training programme. While not all Garda Stations are training stations it is important to note that the allocation of probationer Gardaí to a Divisional training station facilitates the reassignment of Gardaí to other stations within the Division, if required, by the Divisional Officer.

By way of assistance to the Deputy, I have set out in the table the number of new Garda Recruits allocated to the Kildare Division in each of the years 2015 and to date in 2018 as supplied by the Commissioner.

Probationer Garda Allocations by Division - 2015 to 2018

Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein)
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15. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the progress in deploying gardaí to a greater extent in community and frontline policing. [29328/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I should say at the outset that the distribution of Garda personnel is exclusively the statutory responsibility of the Garda Commissioner.

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.

Community policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána. It provides a means of recognising that every community – both urban and rural – has its own concerns and expectations. That is why it is important to recognise that the role of a community Garda is not a specialist role in An Garda Síochána; rather it is the case that all Gardaí have a role to play in community policing in carrying out their duties. The official categorisation as a Community Garda simply refers to those who are exclusively assigned to building relationships with local communities and civil society including giving talks to schools, community groups and others. It is a matter for the Divisional Chief Superintendent to determine the optimum distribution of duties among the personnel available to him or her having regard to the profile of the area and its specific needs.

A major programme of reform is already underway in An Garda Síochána. In July 2016, the Government approved a major Five Year Reform and High-level Workforce Plan for An Garda Síochána, which agreed to 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 4,000 civilians represents a medium-term target of 20% of the full-time workforce in An Garda Síochána, in effect doubling the civilian staff count over the term of the programme. This is to be achieved through twin policies of "civilian by default" and redeployment. "Civilian by default" refers to the filling of new posts other than operational policing posts and non-operational policing posts that become vacant by civilian staff unless policing expertise is required.

The redeployment element is informed by the Garda Inspectorate's 2015 "Changing Policing in Ireland" report which estimated that approximately 1,500 administrative and technical roles currently undertaken by Gardaí may be suitable for civilianisation subject to further examination. The Government’s plan aims to return as many of these Gardaí as possible to policing duties over the next five years, to ensure a visible policing presence on the frontline and to ensure the best possible policing services to the people of Ireland.

Progress is being made in relation to civilianisation with almost 300 new civilian posts approved to date. The bulk of these posts are aimed at addressing critical skills gaps and capacity issues across the organisation, with a proportion approved to make a start on the redeployment of Gardaí to policing duties. Progress is also being made in relation to redeployment with the latest figures to the end of May indicating over 100 Garda members have been redeployed to policing roles. I have made it clear to the Commissioner that I expect progress in this area to continue and accelerate.

As I have stated in the House on other occasions the 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. I am informed by the Commissioner that 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. 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.

As the Deputy will be aware the increase in Garda numbers last year represented the first significant increase since numbers started falling in 2009. Undoubtedly, the investment in resources and the ongoing recruitment process will support all Garda activities and enable the Commissioner to provide additional resources to all Garda Divisions in the coming years.