New data rules take gardaí off the beat

Gardaí will spend even less time on the beat because they are being required to log far more technical data on the already creaking Pulse computer system.

The claim was made by the two major garda associations, the GRA and AGSI, which represent respectively front-line and middle management members of the force.

Due to the recently introduced EU Victims of Crime Charter, gardaí will have to input a considerable amount of information about victims on the Pulse system.

While both organisations welcome the move, they say the drastic reduction in garda numbers in recent years and time consumed inputting victim information into the system will drastically reduce their presence on the streets.

They have claimed it could take anything between 20-30 minutes to input just one victim’s details, and would possibly have to complete a number of those before a shift ends.

Gardaí say it is already “a log jam” trying to get on to the Garda Information Services Centre (GISC) in Co Mayo, which is basically a call centre, manned by trusted civilian analysts who open the Pulse system for inputting.

To save time in providing information to GISC, most gardaí look up the system to get GPS positions for incidents, names, and addresses of those involved, and other information. Many do this towards the end of their shifts in their stations, which they say creates the log-jam. Others opt to do it in their own time.

The representative organisations say there is an additional new requirement which will cut the time sergeants are out of office on the streets.

“Under the new case management system, which is part of this new Pulse functionality, each sergeant will now be responsible for overseeing the inputting and the progress of cases filed by up to five gardaí,” said GRA central executive committee member Michael Corcoran.

He said the only way to keep gardaí on the streets protecting the public and away from more administrative duties was to rapidly accelerate recruitment, which had been ignored for years, or to employ more trusted civilians to oversee the computing of Pulse information.

“The Pulse system is creaking as it is. We don’t have the resources or the time. This is a recipe for disaster and the public will see a huge reduction in the number of hours gardaí are actually out on duty protecting them.”

He said the only solution to the issue was either to recruit more gardaí at a speedier rate or employ more civilians to help with logging Pulse information.

Meanwhile, in a statement, AGSI said while capturing information for Pulse purposes was important, relevant and useful, it was additional information that must then be transferred onto Pulse which was always going to add time to the data capture process.

AGSI added that its members say it is already proving difficult to get through to GISC to capture information prior to adding to it.