‘We require recruitment well beyond current intakes’ says GRA president
He said the force is hugely under-resourced due to 3,000 retirements and also urged her to support gardaí in their pay restoration claim and ensure recruits are paid the same as every other officer.
“We hear all about recruitment and promotions yet hear nothing about the constant flow of retirements and the ever-dwindling resources left on the frontline.
“We hear all about Operation Thor and the effect it has had on crime. What we don’t hear is that Operation Thor proves that we are under-resourced and with the correct resourcing, we can tackle crime.”
Garda O’Brien told the commissioner the GRA has been seeking an independent optimum numbers surveyto clearly show how many gardaí are required to police each district in the country.
“We are under-resourced on the frontline and we require urgent recruitment well beyond the current intakes. The numbers graduating are barely meeting the promotions and retirements from the force.”
He said the uniform must be changed to provide a level of safety and comfort. “The boots are too cumbersome. Far lighter footwear, complying with health and safety requirements, is available. We have been asking for these changes through our uniform working group for some time now.”
Garda O’Brien said the Pulse computer system “is collapsing at the seams”.
The commissioner said she “absolutely agreed” the uniform needed upgrading and would make that a priority. She said she would “take on board” the request to look at optimum Garda numbers and acknowledged there was a need to improve IT systems.
She maintained the force was now benefitting from government investment, but admitted this was only the beginning following years of under investment. She also revealed a contract had been signed to provide 24/7 on-call counselling services for gardaí, which was welcomed by Mr O’Brien, who said work-related stress had led to a number of Garda suicides.
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