40% of garda stations ‘have no email access’
Two out of five garda stations in the country are not linked to the garda network and do not have email access, it has been claimed.
Justice Minister Alan Shatter, responding to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fáil’s Dara Calleary, admitted that only 421 of the country's 703 garda stations are "networked locations".
This means that 282 stations are not networked and do not have a unique email connection.
"How is it possible that in this day and age, 4 out of 10 garda stations in this country are not 'networked' and do not have email access?” Deputy Calleary said.
“It is absurd that such a basic necessity for the operation of any office would be so lacking within our garda force.”
However a spokesman for the Department of Justice and Equality has responded to Deputy Calleary by saying that it is an issue for the Garda Commissioner and not the Department of Justice and Equality.
The provision of information technology facilities is an operational matter for the Garda Commissioner.
This was the position throughout fourteen years of continuous Fianna Fail led government and remains the position today as it is right that operational decisions are made by the Garda Commissioner and not the Minister for Justice.
It is extraordinary that Deputy Dara Calleary does not acknowledge or understand this. The information in the Minister’s Parliamentary Question response was supplied by the Garda authorities.
Additionally, the Minister has been advised that it was not the intention that all Garda Stations should be linked to the Garda network.
This involves a substantial financial outlay and it would not be cost effective in the case of stations which are manned for limited periods of time.
The Minister has also been advised that the network is being extended to additional stations and that this is a process which will continue.
All Garda members have access to the Garda network via connected stations.
The Minister would like to emphasise that Garda members have available to them the most up to date secure radio communications equipment.
