Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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1175.To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality for an update in relation to the work of Garda crime prevention officers, noting how many crime prevention officers, by rank, there are in each Garda division; the amount of funding crime prevention has received; number of arrests and prosecutions arising from the crime prevention operations.[35297/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As you will be aware, the Garda Commissioner is by law responsible for the management of An Garda Síochána, including the distribution of Garda members between the different Garda units and Divisions. As Minister, I have no direct role in these matters.

I can, however, assure you that the Government is committed to building stronger, safer communities and a strengthened, well-resourced Garda Síochána is central to this policy. This commitment is demonstrated by the unprecedented provision of more than €2.35 billion to An Garda Síochána this year, which is allowing for sustained and ongoing recruitment and investment in new equipment and new vehicles.

This level of funding provides for a steady pipeline of new Gardaí in the coming years, with new recruits entering the Garda College approximately every 11 weeks. Additionally, the Garda Commissioner has committed to yearly recruitment competitions.

In addition to new recruits, the rollout of the new Garda Operating Model will support the redeployment of Gardaí from non-core duties to frontline policing across the country. The new model will see larger divisions with more resources, increased Garda visibility in communities, a wider range of locally delivered policing services, and a strong focus on community policing.

Within each Garda Division, there are specialist Crime Prevention Officers (CPOs). CPOs are trained to encourage, promote and advise on crime prevention in both private and business communities.

There are currently 33 Crime Prevention Officers in the country. The list of which can be found here:www.garda.ie/en/crime-prevention/who-is-my-local-crime-prevention-officer-/

These figures are correct as of 5 August 2024. All Crime Prevention Officers are of Sergeant rank.

The funding for Crime Prevention is incorporated in to the local policing plan and is aligned to the Crime Prevention and Reduction Strategy 2022-2024. It doesn’t receive specific funding as it is integrated into day to day operational policing.

I am informed by the Garda authorities that all arrests and prosecutions that are made by An Garda Síochána are crime prevention operations. As the Deputy will be aware, the Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, is responsible for the compilation and publication of all crime statistics.

The CSO produces these statistics using data recorded on An Garda Síochána’s PULSE system and makes regular releases in relation to various crime statistics.

The most recent statistics were released on 26 June 2024, providing statistics for Recorded Crime for Quarter 1 2024. However, it is worth noting that crime statistics for Q2 of 2024 are not yet available and are due to be published by the CSO towards the end of September.

The most recent figures in respect of recorded crime incidents can be found on the CSO website at the following link:www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-rc/recordedcrimeq12024/data/

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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1176.To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of full-time and part-time staff, broken down by rank, assigned to the Garda national crime and security intelligence service, in tabular form; the number of positions currently vacant.[35307/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy’s question seeks detailed information with regard to the Garda National Crime and Security Intelligence Service

The Garda Síochána Act 2005, as amended, sets out the functions of An Garda Síochána, which include the provision of security services for the State. The Garda National Crime & Security Intelligence Service carries out a range of activities including the identification of security threats, the implementation of necessary security mitigation measures and the provision of advice to the Government on security threats.

Under the Act, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, including the assignment of Garda personnel throughout the State. This responsibility is inclusive of specialist units within the organisation, such as the National Crime and Security Intelligence Service. As Minister, I have no role in these independent, operational functions.

The Deputy will appreciate that for security and operational reasons it is not the practice to comment on the numbers deployed or the means used by An Garda Siochana to safeguard the security of the State. However, I am aware that the Garda Commissioner keeps the allocation of resources under continued review and he is acutely aware of the developments in this area.

As the Deputy is aware the Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs and has provided funding of over €2.35 billion to An Garda Síochána in 2024 which is a 25% increase since 2020 and is allowing for sustained investment in recruitment, equipment and technology.

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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1177.To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of full- and part-time staff, broken down by rank, assigned to the Garda national cyber crime bureau, in tabular form; the number of positions currently vacant; her views on whether the bureau’s current capacity is sufficient; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[35308/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, under Section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, which includes all operational policing decisions related to the capacity of Garda units. Additionally, under Section 33 of the Act, the Commissioner determines the distribution and stationing of the Garda Síochána throughout the State. As Minister, I have no role in these independent functions.

I am advised by the Garda Authorities that the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau currently has a total of 71 Garda members of all ranks assigned, and 11 Garda Staff of Clerical Officer, Executive Officer and Higher Executive Officer Grades.

As figures broken down by rank/grade would provide returns of fewer than 10, and may identify particular members, a breakdown is unavailable. An Garda Síochána do not provide data for counts of fewer than 10 due to security and data protection considerations.