Gardaí press for greater resources

Rank-and-file gardaí have urged Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan to press the Government for greater resources to ensure a proper police service is maintained across the country.

The Garda Representative Association said yesterday it was baffled at comments by the commissioner that gardaí had adequate resources in light of recent cuts to the force’s annual budget.

As anger continues to mount about the prospect of further cuts to the pay and conditions, the GRA also vowed to press ahead with a planned action tomorrow.

Gardaí are expected to refuse to use personal equipment such as cars, phones, or laptops for official Garda use, though they stress such a protest will not impact on the service to the public.

“It is merely intended to show we’re serious,” said GRA general secretary PJ Stone. He said members were “at their wits’ end” about their income levels.

The GRA, which represents about 11,000 gardaí, yesterday met Mr Callinan to discuss concerns within the force about Government plans to alter pay and conditions as part of an overall plan to obtain further reductions in the public service pay bill.

Members of the GRA executive held talks lasting over two-and-a-half hours with the commissioner at the Garda headquarters in Dublin’s Phoenix Park following their recent vote of no confidence in Justice Minister Alan Shatter

Mr Stone described the meeting as “a very serious exchange of views”.

He claimed confidential information about the impact of pay cuts on gardaí had moved the commiss-ioner and given him “food for thought”.

Mr Stone said gardaí understood the difficulties and problematic position experienced by Mr Callinan in his role. However, GRA representatives said he should state publicly if he felt gardaí were operating on insufficient resources to maintain a proper policing service.

Mr Stone said Mr Callinan had promised to reflect on the GRA’s observations about the Garda budget.

The GRA also expressed anger at suggestions from government representatives they had pulled out of talks on an extension to the Croke Park Agreement earlier this month.

Mr Stone stressed they had only attended a briefing session and claimed anyone negotiating on behalf of An Garda Siochána at the talks did not have the authority to negotiate for GRA members.

In a statement, Mr Callinan said the meeting with the GRA had afforded him an opportunity to listen first hand to the concerns of ordinary gardaí.

Mr Callinan said he hoped nothing would be said or done to interfere with the public support enjoyed by the gardaí in fulfilling their statutory obligations to provide the best possible police service to the community.

Mr Callinan is due to hold a separate meeting with the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors on the same issue next month.