Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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264. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank, attached to the regional support unit in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [32326/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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265. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank, attached to the emergency response unit in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [32327/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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266. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank attached to the special detective unit in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [32328/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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274. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí attached to specialist units in the Cork city division. [32336/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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279. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank attached to the technical bureau in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [32341/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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281. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank attached to the Criminal Assets Bureau in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [32343/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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282. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank attached to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [32344/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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283. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank attached to the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [32345/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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284. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank attached to the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [32346/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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285. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank attached to the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [32347/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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286. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank attached to the Garda National Protective Services Bureau in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [32348/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 264 to 266, inclusive, No. 274, No. 279 and Nos. 281 to 286, inclusive 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.

For the Deputy's information I have set out in the table the strength of the national specialist units which form Garda Special Crime Operations as of the 31 May 2018, the latest date for which figures are available, as received from the Garda authorities. These are national units which support the work of the 28 Garda Divisions across the Country, including the Cork City Division, as appropriate. Consequently the information requested by the Deputy is not available in the format requested.

I am informed by the Commissioner that the Special Detective Unit (SDU) is responsible for the investigation of threats to the state security and the monitoring of persons who pose a threat to the security of the State on both national and international fronts. The Unit also provides security for visiting VIPs, cash in transit movements and armed response and is the operational wing of the Witness Security Programme. The highly trained and equipped specialist intervention unit, the Emergency Response Unit, is also part of SDU. 

I am advised by the Commissioner that for security and operational reasons the strength of the SDU, ERU and the Regional Support Units cannot be provided.

Strength of Garda Special Crime Operations 31 May 2018

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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267. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank attached to the operational support unit in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [32329/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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277. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank attached to the operational support services, in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [32339/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 267 and 277 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 have requested the information sought from the Garda Commissioner and I will write to the Deputy on receipt of same.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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268. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank attached to the traffic corps unit, in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date, in tabular form. [32330/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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As the  Deputy will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources and the Minister for Justice and Equality has no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps the 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 advised by the Garda Commissioner that the strength of Roads Policing Units on the 31 May 2018, stood at 680, of whom 37 members were allocated to the Cork City Division. In addition, there is one Chief Superintendent and two Superintendents attached to the DMR Roads Policing Units, a Superintendent and Traffic Inspector attached to each of the other five Regions. It is important to note, that road traffic legislation is enforced as part of the day-to-day duties of all members of An Garda Síochána, as well as through specific enforcement operations.

The Commissioner established the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau (GNRPB) to ensure a consistent approach to road safety and enforcement of road traffic legislation across the country. This is achieved through coordination of enforcement and development of policy based on research and analysis of statistics and by engaging in campaigns in partnership with other State Agencies. I am pleased to say that I obtained sanction for an additional Assistant Commissioner to head up the GNRPB who is responsible for the oversight and strategic management of the policing of our roads network. In order to support this very important work and to facilitate the restructuring of the Garda Traffic Corps to Roads Policing Units in line with the Modernisation and Renewal Programme 2016 – 2021, I have also recently secured sanction for a Chief Superintendent in the area of Roads Planning and Major Event Management and the creation of two specialist posts in the GNRPB at Superintendent rank one for Roads Policing and one for Major Event Management.

I am informed by the Commissioner that following an internal examination of the role and function of the Divisional Garda Traffic Corps, they have been re-named Garda Road Policing Units, to reflect the role the Units will play in denying criminals the use of the roads network. In addition to the Roads Policing Units focusing on the life-saver offences of speeding, seat belts, mobile phones and driving under the influence, they will also focus on crime prevention and crime detection. Divisional Roads Policing units will work closely with other Divisional units to target known criminals and to disrupt their activities through strict enforcement of road traffic legislation.

I am advised by the Commissioner that following the completion of regional competitions for assignment to roads policing duties an additional 87 Gardaí have been assigned to Roads Policing Units nationwide, in the first quarter of this year. It is planned that a further 63 Gardaí will be assigned to the units later this year to bring the total additional Gardaí assigned to Roads Policing in 2018 to 150 to support better outcomes in relation to road traffic enforcement and crime prevention.  

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. Budget 2018 supports 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.

The provision of these additional resources to the Commissioner is a key component in this Government's approach to improving public safety throughout the country which will undoubtedly benefit policing in relation to transport services in Dublin and in other areas. In this regard I have no plans to engage with the Commissioner to progress a dedicated public transport unit within An Garda Síochána. Investment is instead being made in enhancing the resources available for policing generally. I believe this is the best use of scarce resources.

A further consideration is the ongoing deliberations of the Commission on the Future of Policing. Its terms of reference include consideration of the structures and management arrangements required for the most effective delivery of policing to meet the challenges of modern policing. I look forward to receiving its report in September.

For the Deputy’s information I have set out in tabular form the number of Gardaí by Rank attached to the Cork City Division Traffic Corps in each of the years 2009 – 2017 and to 31 May 2018, the latest date for which figures are currently available.

*Up to 31 May 2018

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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269. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank attached to the public order unit in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [32331/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the deployment of Garda personnel and for the management and organisation of Garda operational units.  I am assured that Garda management keep this deployment under continuing review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities, including with respect to concerns about public order and anti-social behaviour, so as to ensure that the best possible use is made of policing resources.

I am informed by the Commissioner that there are Gardaí with specialist training in public order policing in each Division who are available to be called upon when required to police events where there is an increased risk of a public order incident occurring for example protests or large scale public events. The number of Gardaí called upon is dependent on the nature of the event. As such there are no Gardaí assigned to public order units on a full-time basis.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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270. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí by rank attached to the community relations unit in the Cork city division in each of the years 2009 to 2017 and to date in 2018, in tabular form. [32332/18]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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275. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of dedicated community gardaí attached to the Cork city division and each district within it. [32337/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 270 and 275 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.

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.

I am assured by the Commissioner that the Garda National Model of Community Policing plays a key part in responding to crime by taking into account and responding to local conditions and needs. Overall the Model advocates a partnership based, pro-active, community-orientated style of policing. It is focused on crime prevention, problem-solving and law enforcement, with a view to building trust and enhancing the quality of life of the entire community. Clear objectives are set, such as high visibility in the community, ease of contact by members of the public, and enhanced support for crime prevention strategies.

As part of the Community Policing Model An Garda Síochána work in partnership with local communities, to prevent and deter crime through initiatives such as Neighbourhood Watch, Community Alert, Text Alert and the Garda Schools Programme as well as through more formal structures such as Joint Policing Committees.

The Community Policing Model also places a strong emphasis on Crime Prevention and within each Garda Division, where there are specialist Crime Prevention Officers (CPOs), who are trained to encourage, promote and advise on crime prevention within communities.

In addition, the National Community Policing Office, attached to the Garda Community Engagement Bureau, captures best practice in community policing initiatives and disseminates these practices through its communication network.  As such it is not possible to give details of the number of Gardaí attached to the National Community Policing Office in the manner requested.

I am informed by the Commissioner that the strength of the Cork City Division on 31 May 2018, the latest date for which information is readily available, was 678, of whom 28 members are Community Gardaí. There are also 42 Garda Reserves and 71 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.  

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.

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 53 members have been assigned to the Cork CityDivision. 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. 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 Cork City Division, as new Garda recruits continue to come on stream.

For the Deputies information I have set out in the table below the number of Community Gardaí by Station in the Cork City Division, as on 31 May 2018, the latest date for which figures are currently available, as supplied by the Commissioner.