Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 May 2026
442. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of frontline Gardaí assigned to public order, community engagement and hate crime investigation duties in each Garda division; the number of vacancies currently existing; and the additional resources requested by Garda management since 2020. [40970/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the distribution and stationing of Garda personnel throughout the State. I engage regularly with the Commissioner and I am assured that the resourcing of each Garda Division is fully considered within the overall context of the needs and requirements of Garda Divisions throughout the country.
All frontline members of An Garda Síochána are engaged in community engagement activities by the very nature of their role. Hate crime complaints or incidents can be reported to any member of An Garda Síochána at any Garda station.
I am informed by the Garda authorities that Gardaí with specialist training in public order policing perform duty with the Public Order Unit to provide tactical support as well as a graduated policing response to appropriate incidents, while effectively assisting frontline Gardaí.
These Garda members are only required to perform public order duties when operational demands require their deployment, otherwise they are engaged in routine policing duties. The Garda National Public Order Unit, (GNPOU), is not a full-time unit. Members trained in public order policing are deployed from across the organisation for operational requirements when the need arises.
An Garda Síochána publishes information in relation to the allocation of Garda personnel nationally. This includes a breakdown of Garda members and staff assigned by Garda Station from 2010 to the end of March 2026, the latest date for which figures are available. This can be found at the following links:
2026: www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/human-resources-and-people-development/garda-hr-directorate/garda-strength-breakdown-2026/garda-strength-breakdown-2026.html.
2014-2025: www.garda.ie/en/about-us/our-departments/human-resources-and-people-development/garda-hr-directorate/garda-strength-breakdown-2025/garda-strength-breakdown-2025.html.
