Martin Ferris (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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215. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of gardaí in the Kerry Garda division trained as divisional asset profilers as of 31 December 2017, 31 December 2018 and 7 June 2019, in tabular form. [28494/19]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, it is the Garda Commissioner who is responsible for managing An Garda Síochána including matters relating to personnel.

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 Criminal Assets Bureau is a national multi-disciplinary agency specialising in targeting of the proceeds of crime. The Bureau draws together the necessary expertise from a number of Departments and agencies.

The Bureau maintains a presence in each of the Garda Divisions through the operation of the Divisional Assets Profiler Programme. Under this Programme, asset profilers are providing a criminal asset profiling service across the Garda Divisions in relation to persons or suspects operating within the area, with particular reference to those involved in serious and organised crime. The Bureau utilises the local knowledge supplied to it by the asset profilers, which enables it to target the proceeds of crime in local communities. A number of legislative measures have been introduced to tackle gang-related and associated crime, including the Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Act 2016, which provides additional powers for Gardaí; in particular, powers to allow for the immediate seizure of assets suspected of being the proceeds of crime to prevent them being disposed of.  

The following table represents the number of criminal asset profilers within the Kerry Division:

Since the reopening of the Garda College in September 2014, almost 2,800 recruits have attested as members of An Garda Síochána and been assigned to mainstream duties nationwide. This and on-going recruitment will clearly provide significant additional policing hours throughout the country, both in terms of the increase in new Gardaí and the redeployment of Gardaí to frontline policing duties due to civilianisation of their current roles. These new resources coming on stream have allowed the Commissioner to allocate additional resources to the specialist bureaus that comprise Garda Special Crime Operations, including the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.