Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 October 2026
7. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the assessments undertaken by his Department and An Garda Síochána regarding the need for increased Garda resources and Garda visibility in rapidly growing constituencies, such as Kildare North. [70464/26]
View answerIt was welcome news yesterday that the Minister was able to secure an additional 1,000 gardaí as part of budget 2027. What I raise specifically today is Kildare North, which has the lowest Garda numbers per capita nationally. What assessments will be undertaken by the Department and, indeed, the Garda in deploying more gardaí to the likes of Kildare North?
I thank Deputy Ó Cearúil for his question. The issue of Garda policing and Garda resources in Kildare North is an issue which the Deputy consistently raises with me.
At the outset, I, too, welcome the fact that resources were put in place in yesterday's budget for the recruitment of 1,000 new gardaí in 2027. I am pleased to say that we will get close to, if not reach, 1,000 gardaí recruited in 2026 because we have two more attestations. I will not have the final figure until later in the year.
As of the end of August 2026, there were 14,683 gardaí allocated to communities nationwide. They are the most important resource. There are 534 of these gardaí assigned to the Kildare-Carlow division, which includes Kildare North.
Deputy Ó Cearúil asked what factors were taken into consideration when the Commissioner was deciding where his resources should go. I will give the Deputy them presently, but it is important that I let the Commissioner do that work. That is the Commissioner's function. He is the expert when it comes to policing. The Commissioner has the data when it comes to policing. It is not a good idea for me, looking over the Commissioner's shoulder, to try to say I would like some more put into constituencies for political reasons. The Commissioner will consider a range of factors when allocating the resources. These include commitments and undertakings outlined in the annual policing plan, crime trends and workloads, operational strategies, population and demographic trends, geographical factors and personnel matters across all Garda divisions and specialist units.
Within Kildare, there are 147 gardaí assigned to Kildare town, 112 gardaí assigned to Leixlip and 171 gardaí assigned to Naas. I also note that 30 probationer gardaí were assigned to the division in 2025 and a further 41 new gardaí have been assigned so far in 2026. Those numbers are reflecting the Deputy's concern and, I hope, dealing with it.
I would not suggest that Deputy O'Callaghan would, as Minister, interfere with the Commissioner's role and I appreciate the separation there. However, it is incumbent on me to raise these issues, particularly in light of, as the Minister mentioned, the additional numbers for Kildare.
Twelve of those probationary gardaí this year were assigned to the Leixlip district, and it is welcome news. However, I am fortunate to have a great relationship with gardaí on the ground in my constituency and ten gardaí are leaving Kildare. They are being transferred. Therefore, we have only two net additional gardaí in the district. This is having a huge impact on local policing. The gardaí want more resources and want more colleagues on the ground.
Kilcock, Celbridge and Maynooth, for example, are huge towns, all with part-time stations. It is a hub-and-spoke approach with Leixlip. It would not be tolerated down the country in other counties for towns the size of Maynooth, Kilcock or Celbridge not to have full-time stations. We need a review of how the hub-and-spoke and, indeed, how individual stations operate.
I can appreciate and understand the Deputy's concern and wanting to have more gardaí in Kildare. Obviously, every Deputy in the House is saying that to me. I am dependent upon getting in more members of An Garda Síochána. The good news for the Deputy and, indeed, other Deputies is that recruitment is going extremely well this year. We have had three intakes so far in 2026. We had 215 trainees enter in the first intake, followed by 201 on 4 May and 201 on 27 July, and there is a further intake scheduled for 19 October. The numbers are increasing. The more we can get numbers into An Garda Síochána, the more I see more people passing out and the more opportunity the Commissioner will have to allocate Garda resources to Kildare North.
I assure the Deputy that I am aware of the issues he has highlighted. No doubt the Commissioner is aware of those issues as well. Taking into account the factors that I have highlighted, particularly the demographics, I can see the need for extra gardaí in Kildare.
As I said at the beginning, I acknowledge the work that the Minister has done in increasing Garda numbers throughout the country. It is extremely welcome. We need to be open with people around the significant increase in Garda numbers.
I also appreciate that every TD in here would love to have more gardaí in their constituencies. That is a fact of life. However, in looking at the allocations, we need to look particularly at part-time stations in commuter belts in counties such as Wicklow, Meath and Kildare, where there has been significant population growth. In Maynooth, for example, when I was first elected to the local authority, its population was approximately 12,000. It has now gone beyond 20,000. Celbridge is at over 24,000. Kilcock had a population of 8,000; it is now up between 14,000 and 16,000. These are significant towns that need significant resources. I would ask, in dealing with the Commissioner, that there be an assessment of towns that are growing significantly and what to do with these part-time stations and the resources in the future.
There has been a lot of success by the Garda in Kildare North recently as well. In May, gardaí from Kildare North community engagement and Kildare North crime seized two semi-automatic pistols, 39 rounds of ammunition and a scrambler bike during an operation in Maynooth. If you look at Operation Thor, which began some ten years ago, there is a positive trend in Kildare. In the Kildare-Carlow Garda division, burglary and relational offences fell from 279 instances in the first half of 2025 by approximately 21%.
The gardaí are doing a good job and that is why the Deputy wants them there. The Deputy recognises that they are doing an excellent job. It is all dependent upon getting the numbers up. I am pleased to be able to say that, by the end of the year, we will have the biggest force ever. I believe that we will either get to or close to 15,000 sworn members of An Garda Síochána by the end of the year. Of course, there are 3,500 staff members doing work in the station that leave gardaí the ability to go out. I hear what the Deputy says, but recruitment is going well.
