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Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan T.D., visits Portlaoise Garda Station on Christmas Eve

  • Minister pays tribute to Gardaí and civilian staff working over Christmas
  •   Minister emphasises road safety advice to road users and home owners
  •           Improvements in policing during 2017 are highlighted
The Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan T.D. has today
visited Portlaoise Garda station to meet Gardaí and civilian staff who are
working over the Christmas holiday period to thank them for their service
and to acknowledge the work done by all Garda personnel throughout the year
and, in particular, over the holiday period

Paying tribute to Garda personnel around the country and those serving
abroad the Minister said “While most of us will be out celebrating the
Christmas with families and friends, you and your colleagues will be on
duty over the festive season ensuring the communities that you serve will
have a police service to protect them and come to their assistance when
help is needed.  Like all members and staff of the uniformed services, your
sacrifice at this time, is a clear illustration of your commitment to
public service.

“Portlaoise Garda Station is a busy place in a town with two prisons, one
of which is a high security prison.  Proximity to a busy motorway network
and the fact that this station is the divisional headquarters for a diverse
area taking in towns, villages and very rural areas means this station is a
microcosm of some of the important work undertaken by Gardaí around
Ireland.”

The Minister took the opportunity to emphasise to the public the importance
of heeding the simple message “don’t drink and drive” saying that “An Garda
Síochána will be out in force conducting its Christmas and New Year road
safety campaign and I would like to take this opportunity ask every road
user, be it driver, passenger, motorcyclist, cyclist or pedestrian to be
conscious of the choices they make over the Christmas period.  Never, ever
drink and drive, reduce your speed and be cognisant of road conditions
especially when travelling on unfamiliar roads.

“I am deeply conscious of the serious issue of road safety and of the
traumatic impact of road traffic collisions on those directly affected and
their families, especially over the Christmas period.  I am also mindful of
the impact of dangerous driving, including anti-social driving, more
generally on the quality of life of residents in local communities across
the country. Road Safety is a shared responsibility, one the Government and
An Garda Síochána take very seriously.”

The Minister assured the men and women of An Garda Síochána of the
Government’s continuing support for the invaluable service they provide
24/7, 365 days a year. He pointed to the progress on the road to an overall
Garda workforce of 21,000 by 2021, comprising 15,000 Garda members, 2,000
Reserve members and 4,000 civilians.  Since the reopening of the Garda
College in September 2014:

  ·    Close to 1,600 new Gardaí have joined An Garda Síochána and have
     taken up their assignments around the country;
  ·    Of these 900 took up their assignments this year reflecting the
     ramping up of recruitment to ensure that the goal of 15,000 by 2021
     remains on target;
  ·    The strength of An Garda Síochána will be approximately 13,500 by the
     end of this year – a net increase of 500 over 2016 representing the
     first significant annual increase in Garda numbers since number
     started falling in 2009 due to the severe economic recession;
  ·    Some 800 trainees Gardaí entered the College this year with Budget
     2018 providing for a further 800 recruits to enter next year;
  ·    Garda numbers will reach 14,000 by the end of next year.

Emphasising the importance of Reserves and Civilian staff, the Minister
said:

“We will see the strength of the Garda Reserve start to increase next year
with the first batch of new Garda Reserves starting training in the new
year. Unprecedented investment in civilian staff to address critical skills
and capacity gaps and to facilitate the redeployment of Gardaí to the
front-line is in place with funding for a further 500 civilians to be
recruited next year. This will free up uniformed Garda for frontline duties
and support the wider reform programme underway across all areas of An
Garda Síochána.


“This investment in personnel is complemented by substantial investment in
resources across the board for An Garda Síochána. Some €330 million,
including €205 million under the Capital Plan 2016 to 2021, is being
invested in Garda ICT infrastructure over the period 2016 to 2021.  The
Capital Plan also provides for an investment of €46 million in the Garda
fleet to ensure that An Garda Síochána has a modern, effective and fit for
purpose fleet. This is in addition to the investment of almost €30 million
in the period 2013 to 2015. In the period 2013 to end of 2017 almost €44
million will have been invested in the fleet with some 2,000 vehicles
coming on stream in that period.”

In relation to support for local communities to tackle crime the Minister
highlighted the value of the Text Alert Scheme and the CCTV Scheme in
place.

The Minister reminded communities that funding is available for the Text
Alert Rebate Scheme in 2017. The rebate is available to almost 1,000 local
groups registered under the Garda Text Alert Scheme. At the Ploughing
Championships in September, the Minister announced that his Department
would provide €100,000 for the rebate scheme this year, and encouraged all
groups to apply directly and without delay to Muintir na Tire to avail of
the rebate.

The Minister went on to say that “Community Alert and Text Alert in
particular, are perfect example of citizens working in tandem with their
local Gardaí to provide a safer community for all those who live there.
Text Alert Groups are a vital link between the public and An Garda
Síochána, and let no one have any doubt about the commitment of An Garda
Síochána and this Government to ensure that we tackle crime in this
country.  Further information on these schemes is available on my
Department’s website.”

€1 million was secured in Budget 2017 to launch a new round of community
CCTV schemes in line with the Programme for Government commitment to
providing investment in CCTV systems. The scheme was launched on 13 April
2017 and is intended to run for 3 years.  Any communities who wish to avail
of the scheme are urged to contact the Department of Justice and Equality.


Lock Up Light Up

Minister Flanagan highlighted the importance of security measures,
reinforcing the advice from An Garda Síochána, saying:

“I would like to join An Garda Síochána in reminding people to “Lock Up and
Light Up”. As we approach Christmas and the New Year, householders need to
remain vigilant as, traditionally, the number of burglaries rise in winter
time. I advise everyone to remember to turn on some lights, use timer
switches and lock all doors and windows. If you are leaving the house over
the festive period, to visit family or take a holiday, please remember to
use an alarm, store extra keys away from windows and letter boxes and don’t
store large amounts of cash or jewellery in your home.

“An Garda Síochána will be working around the clock, as they do all year,
to tackle the scourge of burglary gangs operating throughout the country.
We have robust legislation in place but I want to encourage everyone to
make an effort to ensure that their homes are safely secured over the
Christmas period, and for the remainder of the winter months.”