Warning of need to enforce Garda hiring of civilians

The hiring of civilians to release gardaí to the frontline will have to be enforced “persistently and voraciously” to meet targets, the Policing Authority has said.

The warning from the chair of the authority, Josephine Feehily, is contained in a progress report sent to Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald on January 31 — but was only published on the Department of Justice website yesterday evening.

Her report states that, “despite numerous requests” during 2016, Garda management had failed to provide the authority by year’s end with estimates on the number of posts that could be civilianised.