Report calls for specialist Garda missing persons unit

THE establishment of a specialist, dedicated missing persons unit within An Garda Síochána is expected to be recommended in an upcoming report by the Garda Inspectorate.

Chief Inspector Kathleen O’Toole told an Oireachtas Committee yesterday that a draft report which will examine the benefits of such a unit was currently being prepared.

It is understood the creation of an “amber alert” type programme for missing children is under consideration as part of the wider scheme to improve the current handling of missing person reports.

It is estimated that more than 6,000 people are reported missing in Ireland every year, although over 95% of them are located within a short period.

Last summer, Justice Minister, Dermot Ahern asked the Garda Inspectorate to carry out the study to examine whether existing procedures and responses to reports of missing people were adequate.

An “amber alert” system is already widely used in the US and other countries to highlight reports of missing children, Typically it provides the public with immediate information about child abductions where fears exist for a child’s safety.

In her first public appearance before an Oireachtas Committee, Ms O’Toole also called for the work of uniformed gardaí to be made more attractive.

“A uniformed patrol officer is the most important person in the Garda operation,” she said.

Ms O’Toole said community policing was a vital component of efforts to reduce crime and provide reassurance to the public. She claimed the results of a survey which showed a public approval rating of 82% would be the envy of most police forces around the world.

Ms O’Toole expressed concern that 2,600 gardaí are driving official vehicles “on chief’s permission” without having taken a specialist driving course. Ms O’Toole told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice it represented a serious safety issues for gardaí who needed to set an example to others on road safety. Currently, there is only space for 600 officers each year to take the standard Garda driving course, which has a failure rate of 40%.

The inspectorate also recommended the possession of a driving licence should become a requirement when applying to become a garda in future.

Ms O’Toole agreed with several TDs and senators that speed limits in the Republic were “less standardised” than in many other countries. She claimed the inspectorate were totally opposed to the idea of quotas for catching speeding offenders which she did not believe operated in the Republic.

But she was concerned public confidence may be undermined by speed controls at locations where accidents never happen.

Ms O’Toole said that, against her expectations, she had experienced no resistance to the inspectorate from gardaí and was impressed by the openness and engagement shown by members at all levels within the force.

Ms O’Toole said all but one of 178 recommendations made by the Garda Inspectorate had been accepted fully or with some modification by Garda Commissioner, Fachtna Murphy, and welcomed the fact more than 50% have already been implemented.