Pádraig Rice
Ceist:537. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Justice if his attention has been drawn to the Garda Representative Association's reported shortfall of 125 Gardaí in Cork city [15119/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 1 April 2025
Ceisteanna (537)
Freagraí scríofa
I am 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.
The Garda Vote in Budget 2025 has unprecedented funding of over €2.48 billion, a 27% increase since 2020 which is supporting the continuing recruitment of Garda members and staff.
The Garda Commissioner and his senior management team keep the distribution of resources under ongoing review and I understand 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.
The requirements of all Garda Divisions nationwide must be 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.
I am informed that, as of 31 January 2025 the latest date for which figures are available, the total Garda workforce is almost 18,000, the highest ever level.
As of 31 January 2025, there are 1,282 Gardaí working in Cork City and Cork County. Of those, 666 are assigned to Cork City and 616 are assigned to Cork County. Since 2015, 302 probationer Gardaí have been assigned to stations in County Cork, including 7 from the most recent attestation in March, which was the first of this year.
Garda staff work alongside Garda members to carry out vital roles in the organisation to increase availability of Gardaí to focus on frontline duties. The civilianisation process has allowed 900 highly trained Gardaí to be freed up to increase Garda visibility and capacity.
It is also worth noting that An Garda Síochána police the country on a division-wide basis, viewing their station buildings as locations within communities where the public can attend, and where resources are based. I am assured that policing for an area is delivered using all the resources in a particular Community Engagement area, supported by both divisional and national resources and units, as appropriate.