Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 March 2025
129. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Justice the plans in place to improve Garda facilities and capability in the Dublin Metropolitan Region east division; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12738/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to fight crime. The Garda Vote in Budget 2025 saw unprecedented funding of over €2.48 billion for this year.
The Garda Commissioner keeps the distribution of resources under continual review and I will be engaging regularly with him to ensure our Gardaí have the resources they need to keep our communities safe. When allocating and transferring Garda members to and from any Division, consideration is given to commitments and undertakings outlined in the Annual Policing Plan.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that as of 31 January, there was a total Garda workforce of almost 18,000.
As of the same date, there were 340 Gardaí assigned to the DMR East Division, of whom 164 were assigned to Blackrock, and 176 assigned to Dún Laoghaire.
A number of significant measures have been taken to increase Garda recruitment and we can see the positive effects these are having already. I will continue to work with the Garda Commissioner to deliver on our target of recruiting 5,000 Gardaí over the next five years.
Last week, we saw 201 trainee Gardaí enter Templemore. This is the largest intake since 2019. The latest Garda recruitment campaign took place last month and attracted just over 6,700 applications. This shows there is still huge interest in a career with An Garda Síochána.
A second recruitment campaign will be held later this year.
On 7 March, 149 probationer Gardaí attested from the Garda College in Templemore. Of these, 98 were assigned to the Dublin Metropolitan Region, with 3 of these assigned to DMR East.
Garda staff working alongside Garda members carry out vital roles to increase availability of Gardaí to focus on frontline duties. The civilianisation process has allowed 900 Gardaí to be freed up for frontline policing duties.
As of 31 January, there were 55 Garda staff assigned to DMR East, this represents a 34.15% increase on 2020, when there were 41 Garda staff assigned.
In relation to the Garda fleet, there has been an increase of around 11.5% in the Garda fleet assigned to DMR East since 2020. There are currently 86 vehicles allocated to the DMR East Division, including 37 marked cars, 29 unmarked cars and 17 vans.
Under section 26 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of Garda business, including all decisions related to the upgrade of the Garda Estate. Works on the Estate are undertaken by the OPW in cooperation with the Garda Authorities. This includes planning and completion matters.
In 2024, capital works were completed at a cost of €585,808 on Adelphi Plaza as an accommodation solution to support the roll out of the Garda Síochána Operating Model in DMR East.
Under the NDP, the Government is committed to investing significant levels of capital funding into An Garda Síochána to deliver a Garda station modernisation and refurbishment programme; to delivering strategic ICT and digitalisation projects; and to providing modern, fit-for-purpose Garda resources.
