Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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23. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of new Garda recruits allocated to counties Roscommon and Galway following the latest passing-out ceremony in Templemore; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17599/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In 2024, I have provided a budget allocation of over €2.35 billion to An Garda Síochána which represents a 25% increase on 2020.

At the end of March, there were 14,059 Gardaí which represents an increase of almost 10% since 2015 when there were 12,816 Gardaí throughout the country.

The number of recruits in the Garda training college continue to increase; a total of 746 trainees entered the training college in 2023. This is the highest intake in any year since 2018. A further 185 new recruits entered the College earlier this month.

I can advise the Deputy that there are currently three classes in training in the Garda College, two having entered in 2023 and one this month. These trainees are expected to attest in, June, September and December of this year.

Three further intakes are planned for July, September and December of this year.

I am advised that since 2015 a total of 83 Probationer Gardaí were assigned to Galway Division.

I am further advised that 48 Probationer Gardaí have been assigned to the Roscommon/Longford Division since 2015, this includes 15 Garda members who were assigned to Garda stations within Co. Roscommon. I am advised that no Probationer Garda was assigned to Co. Roscommon this year to date.

The Garda Commissioner and I both fully recognise that policing is often difficult and challenging work, but also very rewarding work. I am sure the Deputy will agree it is not for everyone but it is very much a job worth doing.

I have been absolutely committed to providing An Garda Síochána with the resources needed to make sure communities around Ireland are safe and feel safe.

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Tackling serious and organised crime is a key priority for me as Minister for Justice and I am committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to ensure communities around Ireland are safe and feel safe.

This is reflected in the unprecedented allocation of over €2.35 billion in Budget 2024. The record budgetary resources allocated to An Garda Síochána in recent years have enabled the Garda Commissioner to assign extra resources to the specialist units involved in tackling organised crime, including the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (GNDOCB), the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Armed Support Unit and the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB). Since 2015, over €345m in drugs have been seized by the Gardaí.

An Garda Síochána remains resolute in its determination to act against those engaged in organised crime. Cooperation with international law enforcement agencies remains a key element of the Garda response in view of the global nature of organised crime and the drugs trade, with Gardaí working closely with relevant law enforcement agencies such as INTERPOL and Europol to target drug trafficking.

Tackling drug dealing and associated criminal activity, including by organised crime groups and by members of the public who, through their drug-taking fuel this illegal and very harmful trade, is a top priority for An Garda Síochána and the Government.

An Garda Síochána continues to target those involved in street-level drug dealing across the country and also focuses on disrupting and dismantling the drug trafficking networks that impact on our communities and prosecuting those involved at every level through Operation Tara.

Last December, I received Government approval to open extradition and mutual legal assistance negotiations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). It is important that criminals see there can be no hiding place from the law, and that the State will do everything in its power to bring those who spread misery in our communities to justice.

The Government is committed to taking a number of direct actions to tackle organised criminal groups, including by:

• Increasing the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from 10 years to life in prison to tackle those who direct organised and drug related crime;
• New legislation has been introduced which criminalises the grooming of children into a life of crime;
• Supporting the roll-out of Greentown, a pilot programme which is seeking to break the link between the gangs and the children they try to recruit.

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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25. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to provide an update on the introduction of an online portal for uploading and reporting of digital evidence, such as video of road traffic offences; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17844/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I am informed by An Garda Síochána that they are committed to delivering on this portal. However, as the Deputy will appreciate, this will necessitate the development of a Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS) to store, manage and process any footage received.

This system is also required as part of the implementation of body worn camera (BWC) technology in An Garda Síochána, as it is also a fundamental building block for the deployment of an enterprise-scale body worn camera solution across the large Garda organisation.

As the Deputy may be aware, the project to introduce body worn cameras and the associated digital evidence management system to An Garda Síochána is underway, and is being undertaken on a phased basis. The first stage is a limited proof of concept deployment of cameras in three locations, including Dublin City Centre, which is planned to commence within the next few months.

The legislation which underpins the proof of concept deployment, and the eventual full roll out of body worn cameras, is the Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Act 2023, which was enacted last December.

The proof of concept will, of necessity, be limited in scope but will provide learnings and be used as valuable operational input for the next and substantive stage of the project, the national procurement and rollout of BWCs including the introduction of a DEMS. This system, in addition to supporting the cameras, will support the use of an online portal to facilitate the uploading and submission of video footage to An Garda Síochána by the public.

I am informed that it is currently envisaged that the portal will be developed next year following the developments I have outlined above.