Minister Christopher O'Sullivan: Investing in An Gardaí's Future

Go raibh maith agat, Cathaoirleach, and thank you to all the deputies for their comments and contributions on the Labour motion today. I just want to note many of the complimentary comments in relation to Minister O'Callaghan, who obviously has a vast, vast knowledge and deep understanding of this area and indeed the workings of An Gardaí Síochána. But I also want to, like others, express my gratitude and thanks to the incredible work that An Gardaí Síochána do on a daily basis. What I'm going to do over the next couple of minutes is outline the impact of the work that An Gardaí Síochána and An Gardaí Síochána do in Ireland, and that's as being outlined by the 2025 Global Peace Index, which outlined that Ireland remains ranked overall the second most peaceful country in the world after Iceland, and in the top ten societal safety and security category, and that is very much down to the work of An Gardaí Síochána. Long-term trends continue to demonstrate an ongoing and sustained reduction in recorded crime. An Gardaí Síochána recently highlighted that CSO figures show Ireland has a recorded 7% reduction in crime between 2019 and 2024, while undergoing a 9.3% increase in population. That's significant. And an even greater reduction in crime between 2002 and 2024, while experiencing a 37% increase in population. So as the population goes up, the work of An Gardaí Síochána has led to a situation where crime is reducing. So while crime levels are relatively low, the government is not complacent and will continue to invest in An Gardaí Síochána to enhance their ability to prevent and detect crime. In this regard, I am pleased to be able to outline further supports this government is providing to An Gardaí Síochána. In order to ensure that the needs of the organisation are met over the next decade, the Gardaí Training and Review Group has been established. The group is tasked with identifying options to increase the scale and capacity of high-quality education, training and continuous professional development in An Gardaí Síochána. The group will also consider specifically the case for a second training college and the role that the tertiary system could play in the delivery of Gardaí training for all members of An Gardaí Síochána. This work will also recognise that there will be increased training needs right across the organisation as it continues to meet new challenges and deliver on its mandate. Last year, following the review of the National Development Plan, Minister O'Callaghan secured €2.18 billion for a justice sectoral investment plan out to 2013. €911 million of this is allocated to Garda projects, including the completion of new Garda stations. This investment will see the completion of new Garda stations in Portlaoise, Newcastle West and Bailibro in 2026 and early 2027. It will also support work on new stations in Macroom, Clonmel, Castletroy, Cairndonna and a new HQ for the Dublin North region. The Garda College in Templemore will also receive a significant investment, as Minister O'Callaghan has already mentioned. Importantly, €35 million of funding is also provided for a rolling programme of minor refurbishment works at Garda stations around the country. I will have to mention my own station in Clannachilty, which will avail of this investment. This investment will ensure that stations across the country receive the improvements they need. I also want to highlight the €69 million Minister O'Callaghan has allocated through the sectoral investment plan to expand, modernise, diversify and electrify the Garda fleet over the next five years. Following a sustained investment in air assets, a second new helicopter will be delivered in 2026, significantly enhancing surveillance, search and public order capabilities. Funding is also provided to An Garda Síochána to further develop its drone technology, as well as accommodation for the equine and canine units. €460 million has been allocated in the national development plan to increase Garda capabilities in the areas of digital transformation, technology and cyber security. We have seen the benefits of funding in this area in recent times. All Gardaí are now equipped with mobile devices which allow them to, amongst other things, access Pulse, scan driver licences to check for validity of disqualifications and verify insurance, tax and NCT details for road users. As a result, Gardaí can quickly and efficiently identify offenders and issue fixed charge notices for a range of traffic offences. Additional funding to support the full nationwide rollout of body-worn cameras for An Garda Síochána is critical to protecting frontline Gardaí and prevent criminal activity. €19 million has been allocated as part of Budget 2026 to support this. Highly successful pilot projects have been operating in Dublin City, Waterford and Limerick. Body-worn cameras are not only curbing public aggression and preventing crime, the evidential value of footage is also helping to secure convictions in court. This Government is also working to support our Gardaí by bringing through legislation which allows An Garda Síochána to respond to the challenges they face. The An Garda Síochána Bill is progressing through the Houses. Once enacted, this legislation will save Garda time associated with reviewing vast amounts of video footage and images. It is not acceptable that Gardaí are spending hours on end combing through footage for evidential material when we can make use of a technological solution. This Bill will also provide for biometric analysis, which conducts searches of general characteristics on known individuals and known individuals. It is intended that biometric analysis may be carried out retrospectively on documents gathered in the course of an investigation by An Gardaí in the context of the prevention, investigation, detection or prosecution of an arrestable offence in the search of missing persons for the protection of the security of the State. There will of course be protections and oversight mechanisms put in place, including a code of practice and oversight by a High Court judge who will report to the Taoiseach annually on the operation of biometric analysis. The Government is also progressing the Gardaí Síochána Powers Bill. The primary aims of this Bill are to provide a clear and transparent statutory basis for the existing police powers of search, arrest and detention, supported by statutory codes of practice. Subject to those powers place the fundamental and procedural rights of suspected and accused persons on a statutory basis and rationalise and modernise the powers to take account of developments in modern technology and best practice in policing. The Garda operating model has also introduced a number of new ways in which the Garda organisation is administered. These changes reflect the fact that policing has changed from the same time as our country has changed. Transformation in our way of life, our work, our communities, in technology and in our infrastructure has meant changing demands on Garda resources. What hasn't changed is the ethos and mission of An Garda Síochána. The new operating model has changed the way in which work is managed and has enabled An Garda Síochána to free up policing resources to do police work. It takes account of the fact that there are newer types of crime, such as cybercrimes, that require specialist resources. Domestic and sexual violence has also been a focus of An Garda Síochána and of government in the past number of years and the rollout of divisional protective services units across the country is welcome. This is to say that the Gardaí should be able to change the way they work, the way they are structured and the way in which resources can be deployed to adequately serve the community. The operating model is facilitating these changes so that all policing services can be delivered locally. There are assertions that rural areas in particular feel the operating model doesn't work, that it breaks the link between communities and their Gardaí. However, the model has realigned Garda functions so that there is at least one dedicated community engagement superintendent in every division. In larger divisions there are two or three, each over a community engagement area. The model removes the administrative load from these senior Gardaí to other functions within the division, such as business services, so they can focus on delivering frontline policing, which is what we want our Gardaí to be doing. An Garda Síochána play an absolutely crucial role in ensuring the security of the state, protecting and serving communities across Ireland through the maintenance of law and order and upholding the principles of justice. All of the work and investment made by this government are making a difference to the ongoing development of that service and will ensure that communities across Ireland can be confident that the policing service they receive from an Garda Síochána now and in the years and decades to come. Thank you very much.