Informant system of limited use, say detectives
In its Crime Investigation report, the inspectorate said safeguards around the handling of informants brought in following the Donegal garda corruption inquiry were “inhibiting” the use of the system.
The findings raise serious question marks over the effectiveness of the Covert Human Intelligence Sources system, which was introduced in 2006 in light of the damning findings of the Morris Tribunal.
Also, in the first information as to the size of the informant system, the inspectorate’s report estimates that between 1,800 and 2,750 informants are accepted and used under CHIS in a given year.
The 500-page report said that “very little actionable intelligence” was coming from the CHIS system to local divisions, particularly in relation to volume crime. This refers to mass offences, such as burglaries, car crimes, thefts, assaults, vehicle crime, criminal damage, robbery and drugs.
In a hard-hitting conclusion, the report said: “The current CHIS system is not operating to support volume crime investigation, and opportunities are being lost to capture and act upon valuable intelligence; which would assist in bringing offenders to justice. The current system has limited if any credibility with the majority of detectives and senior gardaí who met with the inspectorate.
“It is the inspectorate’s view that the safeguards, which were introduced after the Morris Tribunal, are inhibiting the use and tasking of CHIS.”
CHIS introduced a strict procedure for the referral, assessment and handling of informants and the use of intelligence from them. As part of this, local detectives and gardaí could no longer interact with informants and were obliged to refer them, including their identities, to a centralised system, operated by a separate garda unit.
“The current approach to CHIS has resulted in gardaí becoming reluctant to engage with people who may be able to provide useful intelligence for fear of breaching garda policy,” said the report.
“Detectives and other gardaí are not permitted to gather or use intelligence from criminals. The inspectorate recognises that criminals have to be managed within clear safeguards, but the current approach is not encouraging the effective use of a valuable source of criminal intelligence.”
The inspectorate said it spoke to a total of 1,000 gardaí at all ranks in the course of its inspection.
The report reveals that between 10 to 15 CHIS referrals are processed on a daily basis, equating to between 3,650 and 5,500 people over a year. Half of referrals are assessed as suitable, suggesting between 1,825 and 2,750 informants in a year.
CHIS is managed centrally in the Crime and Security Division at Garda HQ by the National Source Management Unit.
While the Assistant Commissioner for Crime and Security has overall responsibility, regional assistant commissioners and divisional chief superintendents have “leadership roles”.
