Local TD Denis Naughten has asked the Minister for Justice to intervene as Garda manpower has hit an all-time low in the Roscommon Garda District leaving just one Garda policing an area from Ballyleague to Ballinasloe on occasion.
Deputy Naughten told the Minister in the Dáil: “In the past three years, 25 Gardaí have left the district through promotion, transfer and retirement and none of them have been replaced. Quite frequently there are only three Gardaí on duty in Roscommon and one has to be based in the Garda station.”
He went on to point out that “this is a massive district going from Ballyleague to Shannonbridge, adjoining four counties and the lack of manpower has left the subdistrict of Clonark without any Garda whatsoever”.
“In fact, on Saturday, 4 October, there was one member left in that Garda District as the only available Garda car was called to a situation in County Longford,” stated Denis Naughten.
“There are supposed to be seven or eight Gardaí on average in each unit and that has been the case in Roscommon in recent years, but at the moment we are down to three or four Gardaí, this is just not good enough.”
“Disappointingly the Minister did not provide an answer and the Ceann Comhairle also ruled that the Minister was not accountable to the Dáil on manpower allocation within the Gardaí,” said Denis Naughten.
ENDS.
Editor’s Note: Watch the contribution here: https://youtu.be/HhN7CMyxW1A
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For Written Answer on : 11/11/2021
Question Number(s): 339 Question Reference(s): 55285/21
Department: Justice
Asked by: Denis Naughten T.D.
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QUESTION
To ask the Minister for Justice further to Parliamentary Question No. 1390 of 27 July 2021, if she will provide the corresponding figures for the Roscommon/Longford division and the Galway division respectively; the numbers in each station appointed to specialist units; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
REPLY
(See attached file: Specialist Units Galway Division.xlsx)(See attached file: Specialist Units Roscommon Longford Garda Division.xlsx)(See attached file: Galway Roscommon and Longford Division Oct 2021.xlsx)
As the Deputy will appreciate, under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, which includes the deployment and stationing of Garda members throughout the State. As Minister, I have no role in this independent function.
I am advised by the Garda authorities that 161 Garda members in Galway Division and 37 Garda members in Roscommon/Longford Division are assigned to specialist units. The attached tables outline the number of Garda members assigned to each specialist unit in each Division as requested by the Deputy.
A further spreadsheet is also attached, which sets out the number of Gardaí assigned to each District in the Roscommon/Longford and Galway Divisions as at 31 October 2021, the latest date for when figures are available.
Information in relation to the number of Garda members assigned to each Garda Division, can be found on my Department’s website at the following link: http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Garda_Workforce
Details in relation to the number of Garda civilian staff assigned to each Garda Division are also available on my Department’s website at the following link: http://justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/Garda_Staff
Statistics:
Galway Roscommon and Longford Division Oct 2021
Specialist Units Galway Division
Specialist Units Roscommon Longford Garda Division