Tom Brabazon (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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137. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality to outline the steps he is taking to increase the number of gardaí on the beat in the Dublin metropolitan region north. [24736/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Getting more Gardaí on our streets to prevent crime is my first priority as Minister for Justice.

This Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to fight crime and a strengthened, well-resourced Garda organisation is central to this policy.

At the end of March, the total Garda personnel strength stood at 18,243, which included 14,257 Garda Members, 3,670 Staff, and 316 Reserves.

I will continue to support An Garda Síochána to increase this number further so that we can see more Gardaí assigned to the DMR North division and, indeed, all around the country.

Significant measures have been made to boost recruitment and retention including increasing the Garda trainee allowance to €354 per week; increasing the age of entry from 35 to 50; and raising the mandatory retirement age to 62.

The latest Garda recruitment campaign attracted over 6,700 applications which is significant given the economy is at full employment. I am informed by the Garda Commissioner that they plan to run a second competition later this year. There is a strong pipeline of recruits into An Garda Síochána which will enable the Commissioner to deliver an effective, highly-visible policing service.

The most recent detailed figures that I have for the Garda workforce in DMR North are to the end of February this year. Then there were 768 Garda Members, 76 staff and 27 Garda Reserve assigned to DMR North.

201 trainees entered Templemore on 10th March. This follows the attestation of 149 Gardaí on 7th March 2025. These probationer Gardaí have now been allocated to stations around the country including 12 to DMR North.

I am informed that 462 Probationer Gardaí have been assigned to stations in DMR North since 2015, including 122 to Coolock, 114 to Ballymun, and 81 to Raheny. DMR North has been allocated 9% of the total number of Probationer Gardaí assigned throughout the country during this period.

The total Dublin Metropolitan Region has been assigned 2,537 Probationer Gardaí, which accounts for 49% of those assigned throughout the country since 2015.

I am informed that when allocating and transferring Garda members to and from any Division, consideration is given to commitments and undertakings outlined in the Annual Policing Plan and priorities as determined in delivering ‘A Policing Service for The Future’.

I understand that the requirements of all Garda Divisions nationwide are also taken into account, which include:

• Local and national crime trends and workloads;
• Policing arrangements and operational strategies;
• Minimum establishment statistics;
• Local population and trends, geographical area and size;
• Transfer applications, including welfare, personnel issues and concerns.