Garda group to say that little action has been taken to solve 'massive issue' of poor morale
A 'MASSIVE ISSUE' remains in An Garda Síochána with poor morale and little action has been taken to address the issue, a Garda union will tell politicians today.
The Garda Representative Association (GRA) and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) are due to appear before the Oireachtas Justice committee this afternoon.
In their opening remarks, the GRA will launch criticise work by the Government to resolve the problems associated with a new policing management system, and claim that overbearing discipline has forced gardaí to be afraid to act.
Ronan Slevin, the GRA General Secretary, will tell TDs and Senators that the issues have been long identified, but that no action has been taken to ease them.
'There remains a massive issue with morale within the ranks of An Garda Síochána, with little action being taken to address the issue.
'The continuous issuing of policies and procedures which members must comply with, and the excessive use of discipline and suspension has resulted in members being in fear of receiving any form of complaint as there is little trust in the discipline process.
'Sadly, the recently enacted Conduct, Performance and Standards of Professional Behaviour Regulations will do little to dispel that fear,' he will say.
Suspensions
Slevin will raise the issue of the suspension of a Garda for giving a bicycle to an elderly man, and that of another garda in Limerick who was suspended for seven years but who was recently been cleared of any wrongdoing.
He will say that the bicycle case demonstrates how senior gardaí showed a 'lack of understanding of how community policing works'.
Slevin will go on to say that staff retention and recruitment targets are being missed because of a failure to implement measures to stop the issue.
'It was once the situation that the best recruiter for a career in the AGS [An Garda Síochána], were the gardaí themselves. Sadly this is no longer the case.
'Exit interviews carried out by the GRA clearly show serious areas of concern among members who have decided to leave the organisation.
Advertisement
'These issues in conjunction with the overall feelings of low morale led recently to a vote of no confidence in the Garda Commissioner. Sadly, little has changed since. Denial of low morale and associated issues continue,' he will say.
In its opening remarks, the AGSI will outline failures to address retention and recruitment issues, community policing, road traffic deaths and the new divisional policing model.
It will also comment on the problems of keeping gardaí and hiring new recruits.
'An Garda Síochána is now entrenched within a cycle of continuous failures to meet recruitment targets year-on-year.
'This failure has not been sufficiently recognised by Government or Garda management with the Government in recent years attributing this to covid, full employment and lifestyle choices,' the group's opening statement will say.
The AGSI will say that there is a broad failure to recognise the actual 'fundamental root causes'. It will also highlight pay and pensions disparity, social media commentary, excessive oversight and bureaucracy, change fatigue, workload and work related stress.
It will also cite industrial relations processes for the poor morale among senior gardaí.
'Radical'
The AGSI statement will also say that a number of initiatives have been implemented, but that these are 'short remedies' and are not 'radical' enough to solve the problem.
It will strongly criticise the Divisional and Operation Model that was introduced recently, stating that it has negatively impacted the Garda's relationship with the public.
The model essentially redraws the garda command map across the country, and rather than specific units and areas being led by officers with sole operational command, it places them under an umbrella management system.
AGSI will also claim that international police forces who adopted the model previously have scrapped it and moved back to the more traditional command structures.
'The model has been adapted from Similar policing models internationally, but a fundamental and fatal flaw is that the architects of the Irish version failed to take account of the unique policing and geographical requirements within the jurisdiction.
'The AGSI are now of the view that the current operating model has negatively affected interactive community policing in this country,' the AGSI opening statement adds.
Commissioner Drew Harris appeared last week at the Justice Committee and defended the model, which was criticised by a number of TDs and senators.
Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article.
Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.
Learn More
Support The Journal
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Extra.ie
4 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Annie McCarrick: 'Significant excavation' continues in search of suspect's former home
The innocent owners of the Dublin house where gardaí are searching for the remains of American student Annie McCarrick will be compensated for damage to their beautifully renovated family home. The search of the property, which was the chief suspect's family home at the time Ms McCarrick disappeared, has been ongoing and is expected to continue into next week. Sources said the current owners of the property, who purchased the house within the past 15 years and have since moved out for the duration of the search, have transformed it into a large, modern family home. Annie McCarrick. Pic: An Garda Síochána/PA Wire But with gardaí determined to rule it out as a possible burial site, 'significant excavation' work is being carried out. A response to parliamentary queries from former Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy confirmed a total of €217,790 was paid to property owners who had been subject to Garda raids between 2015 and September 2021. The bulk of this, €158,685, was paid out by the SCA. Garda Headquarters handled more minor claims amounting to €59,005. The innocent owners of the Dublin house where gardaí are searching for the remains of American student Annie McCarrick will be compensated for damage to their beautifully renovated family home. Pic: Sam Boal/Collins Photos Last week, revealed gardaí moved to arrest the chief suspect in the McCarrick murder after going to another jurisdiction to speak with a close associate of the man. It is understood this associate provided information to gardaí, which discredited the suspect's alibi for the day Ms McCarrick vanished. The arrest came as detectives worked on the theory that she was murdered by a 'jealous' man who was known to her. In March 2023, revealed a person of 'significant interest' to detectives was identified and that this was why the case was upgraded to a murder investigation at the time. Annie McCarrick. Pic: An Garda Síochána The development came more than 30 years after Ms McCarrick's friends told gardaí they were concerned about the man, who was well known to her. Ms McCarrick's friend, Linda Ringhouse, and her aunt, Maureen Covell, this weekend expressed concern at how gardaí handled the original investigation. 'They botched it,' Ms Covell told the Irish Times. The innocent owners of the Dublin house where gardaí are searching for the remains of American student Annie McCarrick will be compensated for damage to their beautifully renovated family home. Pic: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin. 'They admitted it. They didn't listen to the family and did not investigate who we thought was guilty in the very beginning. 'They pooh-poohed a lot and didn't follow up on things they should have. That's no secret. It is all documented. 'And no matter how many times we said there is something wrong, it was: 'Oh, she is off on an adventure and she will turn up'.' Newspaper reports this week quoted Annie McCarrick's mother, Nancy, as saying she had 'no interest' in justice, but her friend and aunt are adamant that the family do want justice. In a social media post in 2022, Ms Ringhouse described Ms McCarrick as her 'first and oldest best friend'. 'She was a force of freedom and adventure so much that she took off to Ireland to live her ultimate dream,' she wrote at the time. 'I remember being jealous of Ireland, in a way, because it was taking her away from us. 'She was a true romantic with a big loving heart. An eloquent, soft-spoken, natural beauty as well as a hilarious, foul-mouthed stunner. She could make you spit your drink out from crazy laughter.' Ms Ringhouse told how she visited Ms McCarrick the month before she went missing. 'I was able to see how happy she was to be there and starting a new life chapter. It's hard to describe losing someone this way. It's a different type of loss and grief. It brings a type of anger and rage that does subside, but can come right back at any moment. 'She is never forgotten among those of us that were lucky to call her a friend.'
Dublin Live
15 hours ago
- Dublin Live
Cannabis worth €2 million seized following search of business in West Dublin
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Gardai have seized cannabis worth €2 million following a search of a business in West Dublin today. The huge haul was discovered following a search of a premises in Ballyfermot as part of Operation Tara, an enhanced national anti-drugs strategy launched by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in July 2021. The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle, and prosecute drug trafficking networks at all levels from international to local. The searches were carried out by Gardaí from Ballyfermot Garda Station, Clondalkin Community Engagement Area, and Detective Gardaí from Serious Crime South. Gardai said the seized drugs are now subject to analysis by Forensic Science Ireland and investigations into the find are ongoing. Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
The Irish Sun
16 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Major drug raid as cops swoop on Dublin business & seize cannabis herb worth €2m as two arrested in separate search
A RAID on a business premises in Dublin has resulted in the seizure of €2 million worth of cannabis herb. The search was carried out on Saturday at a business in Ballyfermot. The seized drugs will be analysed by Forensic Science Ireland. This seizure forms part of Operation Tara, an enhanced national anti-drugs strategy launched by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in July 2021. The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle, and prosecute drug trafficking networks at all levels – international, national, and local – involved in the importation, distribution, cultivation, production, local sale, and supply of controlled drugs. Read more in News A spokesperson said: "As part of Operation Tara, Gardaí have seized €2m of suspected cannabis herb during the course of a search of a business premises in the Ballyfermot, "The searches were carried out by Gardaí from Ballyfermot Garda Station, Clondalkin Community Engagement Area, and Detective Gardaí from Serious Crime South. "The "Investigations are ongoing." Most read in The Irish Sun Separately, two people have been arrested in Detectives from the The search was conducted at a property in the Gorestown Road area of Dungannon under the Misuse of Drugs Act on Friday, June 20 shortly after 5.20pm. As part of the ongoing investigation two men, aged 39 and 24 years old, were arrested on suspicion of a number of drug-related offences. Both men are currently in police custody at this time. Detective Inspector Stickland said: 'The drugs, as well as a sum of money and drugs paraphernalia, have been taken away for further forensic examinations. 'Our officers will continue to protect communities from the harm of illegal drugs. "As a result of this excellent police work, a large quantity of suspected dangerous controlled drugs are now safely off our streets. 'Drugs have no place in our community and I am making a direct appeal to anyone with information about the illicit supply, possession or misuse of drugs to contact police on the non-emergency number 101, or submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via 1 The search was carried out on Saturday at a business in Ballyfermot. Credit: Alamy
