Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will appreciate, difficulties in relation to the execution of warrants, including bench warrants, are a long-standing issue for many police services around the world; notably relating to persons actively seeking to evade detection and where limited identification information might be available to support enforcement.  These difficulties are compounded where the warrant has been outstanding for some years.  However, I am assured that An Garda Síochána execute warrants as expeditiously as possible, giving priority to the execution of warrants relating to serious crimes.

The Deputy will also appreciate that the figure for outstanding bench warrants recorded by PULSE at any given time reflects an accumulation of old bench warrants which has arisen over the years and that therefore the total figure for outstanding bench warrants as shown on PULSE may not be a reliable indicator of the number of 'live' warrants which are actually enforceable.

While it is important to note that an individual can be the subject of multiple bench warrants, I am advised by the Garda authorities that, as of 27 April 2022, there are 34,277 bench warrants outstanding nationally.  The table below provides a breakdown of bench warrants outstanding by Garda Division. 

Figures were collated based on PULSE data as of 5:30am on the 28 April 2022. They are operational and may be liable to change.