Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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583. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she can provide figures for the number of community Gardaí in the Drogheda district in each of the years 2022, 2023 and 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43168/24]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I am informed that there has been a significant increase in Gardaí in Drogheda in recent years. I can inform the Deputy that there are, as of June 2024, 142 Gardaí assigned to the Drogheda district. This is an increase of almost 26% since 2017.

Community policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána, and I very much support the concept that every Garda has a role to play in community policing.

The table below, which was provided to me by the Garda authorities, sets out the number of Community Gardaí assigned to the Drogheda District at the end of December 2022 and 2023, and on 30 June 2024, the latest date for which figures are available.

Please be advised that these figures are operational and may be subject to change.

The Drogheda Community Policing Team has had, and will continue to have, a significant role in addressing and delivering the goals of the Drogheda Implementation Plan. While numbers are down in comparison to 2022 (when the unit was awarded the ‘Best Not for Profit’ organisation in 2022 by the Drogheda and District Chamber, a significant achievement for An Garda Síochána and Community Policing in Drogheda) the unit size is still comparable to other large towns in Ireland.

The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution of resources, including personnel, among the various Garda Units and I as Minister have no direct role in the matter.

In the interest of transparency, information in relation to the allocation of Community Gardaí by Division is publicly available and can be found at the following link. I can also advise the Deputy that I have received the most recent figures for June from An Garda Síochána which have been published on the website.

www.gov.ie/en/publication/bd777-an-garda-siochana-your-police-service-some-facts-and-figures/.

As the Deputy may be aware, a member of An Garda Síochána is deemed to be a ‘Community Garda’ where that person is allocated to a Community Policing Team (CPT), and is responsible and accountable for applying a problem–solving approach to appropriate crime and policing quality-of-life issues in a specified geographic area through community partnership and engagement. Examples of this engagement are working with Neighbourhood Watch, Community Alert, or local business fora.

Like most Garda members, those assigned to CPTs have dual functions. In addition to their strategic roles in these teams, part of which requires them to regularly update their Community Engagement Superintendent on the policing needs of their community, they are also front-line members. It is also important to note that CPTs draw on all front-line Gardaí to carry out community policing.

Of course, Gardaí are not solely responsible for safety in our communities and this is what the new whole-of-Government Community Safety structure aims to address by bringing the relevant service providers and the Gardaí together to work with each community in a collaborative manner to focus on tackling the concerns identified and prioritised by the local community itself. The roll-out of Local Community Safety Partnerships across the country will be a core part of that.