An Garda Síochána Annual Report 2021

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Gardaí Continued Major Operations in 2021 to Keep People Safe During COVID-19 and Prevent and Detect Crime – Garda Annual Report 2021.

While helping to keep people safe during the pandemic was paramount in 2021, An Garda Síochána continued to prevent and detect crime including seizing over €63 million of drugs and almost €6 million in cash, making over 45,000 contacts and attempted contacts with victims of domestic abuse, and identifying stolen vehicles worth €1.4m, according to the 2021 Garda Annual Report published today.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said: "2021 was another challenging, but ultimately rewarding year for An Garda Síochána, as it continued its exceptional response to support national efforts to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

"Following on from the work in the previous year, the organisation’s main priority in 2021 was to support public health measures by providing public reassurance, helping and supporting the most vulnerable in society, and ensuring compliance with public health regulations.”

Commissioner Harris added, "The tradition of dedication and professionalism in the delivery of community-focused policing was more than evident in how, collectively and individually, the men and women of An Garda Síochána worked tirelessly to keep people safe during a national crisis.”

Key highlights of 2021 include:

• Over €63m worth of drugs and almost €6m cash seized by the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau
• 45,283 contacts and attempted contacts with victims of domestic abuse
• Successful connection to the Schengen Information System (SIS) with 110 arrests under SIS Article 26 and 88 arrests under European Arrest Warrants (EAW)
• More than 4,600 mobility devices deployed to Gardaí by the end of 2021
• Over 1,000 Garda personnel of all ranks and grades had completed the bespoke human rights and policing course by year-end
• 28 Interns commenced employment in December 2021 representing a variety of diverse groups
• Over 70 young people across the country recognised at National Youth Awards
• KOPS (Keeping Our People Supported) wellbeing app launched
• 340 Probationer Gardaí were allocated, as part of the pandemic operational response, to Garda stations nationwide.

While some initiatives under the Government’s reform programme, A Policing Service For Our Future, had to be paused while the organisation focused on the pandemic, there was progress made in a number of important areas, including:

• The launch of the Garda Anti-Corruption Unit and the introduction of a number of associated policies
• Further welfare supports for Garda personnel
• Continued rollout of mobility devices to frontline Gardaí
• Ongoing implementation of the Operating Model
• Introduction of the Schengen Information System that enables greater sharing of intelligence between European law enforcement agencies.

Further highlights for 2021 included:

National Policing

• 77 assassination attempts thwarted since 2016
• 2,747 Garda Mounted Unit deployments
• 1,202 Garda Air Support Unit flights
• Stolen vehicles to the value of €1,455,400 identified
• 490 new cases and 431 closed cases by the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau
• Launch of national anti-drugs strategy, Operation Tara

National Security & Intelligence

• 138 planned searches by Armed Support Unit (ASU) in support of frontline policing
• Over 3,100 logged armed calls to DMR ASU assisting local Gardaí
• 490 refugees were security screened by Special Detective Unit (SDU) personnel as part of the Irish Refugee Resettlement Programme (IRRP)
• 149 negotiator activations for 2021 – an increase of 60%

Community Safety

• Introduction of online hate crime reporting
• Over 1,000 Garda personnel of all ranks and grades completed the 12-week bespoke training course and are now human rights champions
• Age card applications rose by 10% to 42,194
• Over 168,500 fixed charge notices were submitted on mobility devices
• Operation Teorainn launched nationwide targeting driver behaviour

Cross-Organisation Services

• 14,235 Gardaí / 3,167.6 Garda Staff (whole time equivalent)/ 425 Reserves by year-end
• A wellbeing KOPS app launched in November
• Over 100,000 eLearning sessions undertaken in 2021
• Over 900 Garda personnel signed up for the Fáinne Gaeilge initiative
• Over 1.7m social media followers – an increase of 13%
• Garda Information Services Centre (GISC) created 624,000 incidents on the PULSE system on behalf of Gardaí
• Over 432,000 vetting applications were processed – an increase of 12%
• By year-end, the total reassignments of Gardaí from administrative duties to the front-line stood at 844