Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 June 2024
541. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice the number of sergeant posts currently filled within the Tipperary division as of 28 May 2024; and if she will provide same figures as of 30 June 2021, in tabular form. [24889/24]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the administration and management of An Garda Síochána, including managing the deployment of personnel among the various Garda Divisions. As Minister, I have no role in these matters.
I am assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities.
The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to keep people safe. An Garda Síochána has been allocated unprecedented funding of over €2.35 billion for 2024 representing a 25% increase since 2020. This funding will allow for the continued recruitment of Garda members and staff. There are currently around 14,000 Garda members across the country. This represents an increase of around 9% since 2015 when there were 12,816 Garda members throughout the country.
As the Deputy is aware, the previous Tipperary Division merged with the Clare Division under the new Operating Model. At the end of February 2024, the latest date for when figures are available, there were 662 Garda members assigned to the Clare/Tipperary Division, of which 374 were assigned to the stations located in County Tipperary.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that there were 53 Garda Sergeants assigned to the previous Tipperary Division on 30 June 2021 and that the number of Garda Sergeants in stations located in County Tipperary by the end of February 2024, has increased to 63, which represents an 18% increase.
