“Garda Numbers Falling Nationwide”, Tóibín tells Taoiseach in Dáil

The Aontú Leader Peadar Tóibín TD today raised the crisis in policing with the Taoiseach during Leaders’ Questions.

Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Tóibín said: “Taoiseach, most Garda divisions had fewer frontline officers last year. That’s a shocking headline. Last year in total the number of frontline gardaí working in the 560 Garda stations across the country fell from 12,045 to 11,928. In Waterford the number of Gardaí fell by 24, In Louth, Cavan and Monaghan the number of Gardaí fell by 48. Mayo, Roscommon and Longford lost 22 Garda. Meath my own county, which has the lowest number of Gardaí in the country per capita, saw the number of Gardaí in its division fall again. The number of Garda serving today is below 2020 figure in real terms. It’s even below the 2009 figures in real terms. The number of Gardaí serving today in less per capita than it was in 2005. 20 years of FF and FG and Ireland now has the lowest number of Gardaí per capita in 20 years. Ireland has one of the lowest number of police per capita in the whole of the European Union”

“Since 2011, at least 140 garda stations have been closed across the country. But this government won’t even close a Garda station. Instead we have zombie Garda Stations. 1 in 10 Garda stations currently has no designated Garda. You would think Taoiseach that a Garda would be an important component of a Garda station. The truth is these Garda stations are closed in all but name. Closed Garda stations are a competitive advantage to criminals. Refusal by your government to staff them is leaving these communities exposed to Crime and anti-social behaviour. In my own county, Ballivor, Longwood, Summerhill, Athboy, and Oldcastle have Garda stations that are hardly operational”

Deputy Tóibín continued: “These towns are typical of towns throughout the country that have been abandoned by your government to crime. These towns had fully functional Garda stations 100 years ago when the country hadn’t a red cent to rub together and when crime rates were a ¼ of what they are now. More Gardaí are retiring and resigning than ever before. More Gardaí are being attacked and injured than ever before. Drew Harris has lost the dressing room. There is a universal lack of confidence in him. All of this is leading to a substantial increase in burglaries and related offences. Burglaries rose by 10% in the last 12 months. Violent burglaries increased by 15% in the same time frame. Every 50 minutes someone is being broken into. Theft offences continue to increase. Kidnappings, firearms and explosives offences, public order offences, Violent crime, attempted murder, assaults, shootings, drugs importation and arson attacks are all increasing. This is your Ireland Taoiseach. When is your government going to investment in Garda pay terms and conditions? Will your government reopen Garda stations? When is your government going to protect Gardaí on the front line?”

“There are some welcome additions today in relation to numbers trained and equipment.  but its reactive. Its 6 years since the Garda Inspectorate Report into public Order Policing was published. It issued 19 important recommendations If these recommendations were implemented the severity of the Dublin Riots would have been mitigated. The cost to the tax payer would be mitigated, the cost to the reputation to this country would have been mitigated. I asked the previous Minister for Justice 8 months ago were these recommendations implemented. 3 months later she stated:   “It has not been possible to collate the information” The new Minister for Justice did respond to me last month nearly a year after I asked the question and he stated: the recommendations of the 2018 report are currently being “considered by my officials”. 6 years after the recommendations were made, the Department of Justice is considering them. Why has the government not fully implemented the key public order recommendations of the Garda Inspectorate Report. Why does is taking setting the capital city alight to invest in our Gardaí?” concluded Tóibín.

ENDS

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For Written Answer on : 04/03/2025
Question Number(s): 513 Question Reference(s): 9334/25
Department: Justice
Asked by: Peadar Tóibín T.D.
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QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Justice the number of arrests for drug offences in each county in each of the past ten years, in tabular form.

REPLY

Tackling drug dealing and associated criminal activity is a top priority for An Garda Síochána and the Government. The Government is investing record amounts into An Garda Síochána to target those involved in the sale and supply of illegal drugs through Operation Tara. Operation Tara has a strong focus on tackling street-level dealing across the country, and also seeks to disrupt and dismantle the drug trafficking networks that impact on our communities and prosecute those involved at every level.

The Government is committed to limiting access to illegal drugs to the greatest extent possible and have taken a number of direct actions to tackle this, including by:

• Increasing the maximum sentence for conspiracy to murder from 10      years to life in prison to tackle those who direct gangland and drug      related crime;
• Introducing new legislation which criminalises the grooming of      children into a life of crime;
• Rolling out a support programme to break the link between the gangs      and the children they try to recruit.

Work is also ongoing in my Department on the Proceeds of Crime (Amendment) Bill, which will strengthen CAB’s ability to target the proceeds of crime and      speed up the process to dispose of the asset for the benefit of the State.

In accordance with the Garda Síochána Act 2005 (as amended), the Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána, including for all operational policing matters. As Minister, I have no role in such matters.

The table below, which has been provided to me by the Garda Authorities, sets out the count of arrests associated with the Misuse of Drugs Acts in each Garda Division from 2015 to December 2024.

This is operational data extracted from PULSE at the end of February 2025, and is subject to change.

______________________________________________
For Written Answer on : 04/03/2025
Question Number(s): 514 Question Reference(s): 9335/25
Department: Justice
Asked by: Peadar Tóibín T.D.
______________________________________________

QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Justice the number of reported burglaries in each county in each of the past ten years, in tabular form.

REPLY

The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the operational policing response to burglary and Operation Thor is An Garda Síochána’s national response to burglary.

Operation Thor actively targets organised crime gangs and repeat offenders through co-ordinated crime prevention and enforcement activity based on intelligence and the latest burglary trends.

One focus area of Operation Thor is crime prevention through visible, focused patrols at specific times of day, targeting burglary ‘hot-spots’ and also utilising high-visibility check points that prevent ease of movement.

The Central Statistics Office (CSO), as the national statistical agency, is responsible for the compilation and publication of all crime statistics.

The CSO produces these statistics using data recorded on An Garda Síochána’s PULSE system and makes regular releases in relation to various crime statistics.

The most recent statistics were released on 3 March 2025, providing statistics for Recorded Crime for Quarter 3 of 2024.

The most recent figures in respect of recorded crime incidents can be found on the CSO website at the following link: Recorded Crime Q3 2024 – Central Statistics Office

______________________________________________
For Written Answer on : 04/03/2025
Question Number(s): 515 Question Reference(s): 9336/25
Department: Justice
Asked by: Peadar Tóibín T.D.
______________________________________________

QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Justice the number of persons arrested for burglaries in each county in each of the past ten years, in tabular form.

REPLY

The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the operational policing response to burglary and Operation Thor is An Garda Síochána’s national response to burglary.

Operation Thor actively targets organised crime gangs and repeat offenders through co-ordinated crime prevention and enforcement activity based on intelligence and the latest burglary trends.

One focus area of Operation Thor is crime prevention through visible, focused patrols at specific times of day, targeting burglary ‘hot-spots’ and also utilising high-visibility check points that prevent ease of movement.

The table below, which was provided to me by the Garda authorities, sets out the number of arrests for burglary by Division in the years 2015 up to the end of 2024. Please be advised that this information is operational and may be subject to change.