Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 4 July 2024
370. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Justice the number of gardaí, by rank, attached to juvenile liaison services within the Cavan-Monaghan division in 2022, 2023 and to date in 2024, in tabular form. [28663/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will appreciate, the Garda Commissioner is responsible, by law, for the deployment of personnel and I, as Minister, have no direct role in the matter. Garda management keeps this deployment under review in the context of crime trends and policing priorities to ensure optimum use is made of available resources.
I am advised by the Commissioner that Garda Juvenile Liaison Officers (JLOs) are specially trained to fulfil a key role in implementing the Garda Diversion Programme. Their role includes the administration of formal and informal cautions as well as appropriate supervision of children who have been admitted to the Diversion Programme, as provided in Part 4 of the Children Act 2001.
The intention of the programme is to divert children and young people who have engaged in criminal or anti-social behaviour away from the criminal justice system and towards more positive life choices. Children who commit criminal offences are considered for admission to the Programme.
Youth Diversion Projects (YDPs) are a fundamental support to the operation of the statutory Garda Diversion Programme and provide a vital ingredient in enhancing community policing partnerships. These projects are community based multi-agency crime prevention initiatives, which are funded directly by my Department. YDPs seek to divert young people who have become involved, or are at risk of becoming involved, in crime/anti-social behaviour away from future involvement with the Criminal Justice System.
In Budget 2024, the funding allocated to Youth Justice Services increased by 10% to €33 million. This will facilitate an increase in the availability of YDP services in the evenings and at weekends when many young people need them the most, as well as an increase in supports for families, interventions for typically hard-to-reach young people and early interventions for 8–11 year olds who may be at increased risk of becoming engaged in criminal activity. Programmes run by individual YDPs are outcomes-focused, taking account of the needs, issues and circumstances surrounding referred young people, including their offending behaviour as identified through the assessment process.
The current network of 99 YDPs is extensive, but we will continue to develop it further through both the expansion of the catchment areas of existing projects, where appropriate, and also through the creation of additional projects, to ensure every child who needs it is reached. Four new Youth Diversion Projects were launched last year to become operational later this year, with a further two additional projects planned for later this year.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that at the end of 2022 and 2023, and as of 31 May 2024, there were fewer than ten JLO's assigned to the Cavan-Monaghan Division. I am also advised that data is not released by An Garda Síochána for counts of fewer than 10 for data protection reasons.
