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Minister For
Justice, Equality and Law Reform:
I have been informed by the Garda authorities, who are responsible for the
detailed allocation of resources, including personnel, that the
personnel strength of An Garda Síochána at the end of each year from
2000-2004, inclusively, and as at 19 November 2005 was as set out in the
table hereunder:
| Year |
Strength |
| 2000 |
11,640 |
| 2001 |
11,815 |
| 2002 |
11,895 |
| 2003 |
12,017 |
| 2004 |
12,209 |
| 2005 |
12,301 |
The last rainbow Government allowed the
number of Gardaí to fall from 10,827 to 10,804 and neither Labour, Fine
Gael nor the Green Party gave any commitment to increase the level in
1997 or 2002. Indeed they criticise my proposal to increase the
force to 14,000.
The 2002 Census of Population
calculated the national population at 3,917,203, giving a
police:population ratio of 1:329. In 1996, the polic:population
ratio was calculated at 1:336.
As I publicly stated when announcing
Government approval for my proposals in October 2004, the phased
increase in the strength of An Garda Síochána to 14,000 will lead to a
combined strength, of both attested Gardaí and recruits in training, of
14,000 by the end of 2006, with a fully attested strength 14,000 by
2008. As part of the accelerated recruitment campaign to
facilitate this process, 1,125 Garda recruits were inducted to Garda
College this year and it is intended to induct 1,100 for the next two
years, by way of intakes to the Garda College of approximately 275
recruits every quarter. I should add that this accelerated
recruitment process is fully on target.
I am fully aware of population
increases over recent years and the proposal to increase the strength of
the Force to this level took full cognisance of - and indeed was in
considerable part motivated by - projected population increases.
Taking into account projected population increases, the increase in the
Force strength to 14,000 members will yield a very significant
improvement in the police:population ratio.
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