Gardaí to call for children’s care service

GARDA sergeants and inspectors will this week call for a dedicated out-of-hours health service to care for children whom gardaí increasingly are having to mind in stations.

Middle-ranking gardaí want for Justice Minister Brian Lenihan to establish, in conjunction with all other relevant departments, a dedicated out-of-hours service, under the Health Service Executive (HSE) for the care and welfare of children and young people. The call for the service will be one of dozens of motions scheduled for the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) conference, which begins today in Trim, Co Meath.

Concerns about the inability to contact welfare services when children’s parents are jailed or young people are brought to stations have prompted the motion.

AGSI members are also concerned over plans for regional Garda firearm squads. Garda management want the units to form a “second-tier” firearms response to armed situations.

Under plans, when uniformed gardaí on normal policing duties in marked patrol cars are alerted to armed incidents, they will change clothes and arm themselves with weapons kept in car boots. Signs will then be placed on cars to distinguish them from other patrol cars. Gardaí are concerned the initiative could blur the distinction between unarmed uniformed members and non-uniformed armed officers.

They are also concerned uniformed officers in patrol cars may be mistaken for Regional Support Units and the proposals would place uniformed members at risk.

The Garda Representative Association has also expressed concern that the units are being drawn from uniformed gardaí, who traditionally do not carry firearms. The units were announced in January of this year by Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy in his 2008 policing plan.

Other motions expected at the conference this week will include issues around the training of members to use “stingers” [spiked metal devices to puncture tires] when stopping speeding vehicles, as well as gardaí being equipped with pepper spray when dealing with prisoners. Delegates will also raise issues about Garda driving schools, the Garda ombudsman and equipment for members.

Further issues that regional AGSI members will raise will centre on pay and allowances, specialised support for gardaí, the giving of evidence as well as issues of public order. AGSI president Paschal Feeney is due to address members this evening, as is junior justice minister Sean Power.

Mr Murphy is scheduled to speak to middle-ranking gardaí tomorrow, his first address to a Garda conference since the Corkman took charge of the force last November.