A South-East Clare Councillor is calling on the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner to provide additional gardaí in towns and villages across the county.
It follows the launch of a recruitment drive to hire 800 additional gardaí by Minister Helen McEntee and Commissioner Drew Harris.
Sixmilebridge Fine Gael Councillor John Crowe is writing to the Minister to outline the necessity of community gardaí in rural Clare in tackling anti-social behaviour.
The Justice Department has confirmed the distribution of Gardaí is the responsibility of Commissioner Harris, but Councillor Crowe is hopeful his request will be met.
Statement from Department Of Justice
The Government is committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs, with the unprecedented allocation this year of over €2 billion. This includes funding for the recruitment of up to an additional 800 Garda members and up to 400 Garda Staff. Many of the Garda members to be recruited will be drawn from the Garda recruitment competition which is currently open.
In accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005, the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, which includes decisions on the deployment of personnel among the various Garda Divisions. The Minister for Justice has no direct role in these matters. Garda management have assured the Minister that the distribution of resources is kept under continual review in the context of policing priorities and crime trends, to ensure their optimum use.
As of 31 January 2022, the latest date for which figures are available, there were a total of 773 Community Gardaí. This represents an increase of 14% since December 2017.
To date, the official categorisation as a Community Garda has simply referred to those who are exclusively assigned to building relationships with local communities and civil society, including giving talks to schools, community groups and others. It is important to note, however, that community policing is at the heart of An Garda Síochána and that all Gardaí have a role to play in community policing in the course of carrying out their duties.
Ensuring greater Garda visibility and availability on the ground is also key to the new Garda Operating Model being rolled out by the Garda Commissioner under ‘A Policing Service for our Future’, the implementation plan for the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland.
