Gardaí ‘denied basic needs’ during visits

GARDAÍ were denied “basic human needs” — such as hot food, toilet breaks and relief from work — for up to 18 hours at a time during the visits of US President Barack Obama and Queen Elizabeth, the largest Garda staff body has claimed.

The Garda Representative Body (GRA) said “unnecessary hardship” was inflicted on members in certain cases.

The body intends to bring its evidence to the Garda Commissioner to ensure the same mistakes are not made again.

The association said it didn’t want to wash its “laundry in public”, particularly with the jubilant mood and pride sweeping the country in the aftermath of the two visits.

In an editorial in the Garda Review, the GRA’s official journal, association general secretary PJ Stone congratulated members for their work in the successful policing of the state visits.

“The association also praises the endurance and resilience of our members while completing long tours of duty at short notice and in cases denied basic human needs for protracted periods of time,” said Mr Stone.

“As a result, many of our members felt undervalued by Garda management, and where long-standing agreements on basic conditions of employment were breached, or ignored, to complete the operation.

“We are now in the process of completing a review and compiling the necessary evidence to facilitate a full debriefing to see if there are lessons that can be learned for future operations.”

Garda sources separately told the Irish Examiner that they had to do long shifts, typically up to 12 or 16 hours, or 18 hours in some cases.

Sources said that during this time they were not relieved from work, had no access to hot food and had no or little proper access to toilets.

Mr Stone said members were also temporarily transferred at short notice or had their roster arrangements revoked with “insufficient notice”.

He said management and supervision levels seemd to “fall beneath” agreed standards of welfare expected in modern policing.

“At this juncture, we are cognisant not to wash our laundry in public, especially in the light of the positive reaction we have received from outside of the organisation, but as a staff association, we must address where lessons can be learned from the future and use our collective strength to redress where mistakes or poor practice placed unnecessary hardship on individuals.”