Garda sergeants hit out at 'slow' computer system

The Garda PULSE computer system is slow, complex and prone to crashing, it was claimed today.

At its annual conference in Kilkenny, the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) said its members had no confidence in the system.

“We are forced to use a system which is unnecessarily complex, difficult to use and above all extremely slow,” said Sergeant Larry Baxter, of the Dublin Metropolitan North Division.

The Police Using Leading Systems Effectively (PULSE) technology was introduced in 1998 at a cost of €60m to allow gardaí to input and access vital information quickly.

Sergeant Baxter said the few benefits it had brought were poor compensation for the frequent crashes.

“We need to know what shortcomings are in the system and what’s causing these crashes. We need to know the system will be reliable in the future, so the job will not grind to a halt,” he said.

He added that the main purpose of the system seemed to be to provide statistics for Garda management rather than assisting gardaí on the beat.

The conference heard that PULSE contained a number of glitches, which prevented gardaí from carrying out routine work.

Sergeant Jim Phelan from Portlaoise garda station said he had attempted to change the status of an impounded car to "destroyed" since 2003 .

He contacted the helpdesk about the problem but the system continued to crash.

“Every time any guard in the country tries to do it, it still crashes,” he said.

AGSI national executive member Pascal Feeney said PULSE was causing severe grief to members in their daily duties.

“To borrow a catchphrase from another organisation, we’ve come a long way but we’re not there yet. And with PULSE, we’ve a heck of a long way to go.”

The delegates passed a motion calling on Garda management to have PULSE audited by an independent contractor to identify the shortcomings of the system and to address them.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell has said that it would be “wholly irresponsible” to scrap PULSE and that it could be modified and amended instead.

Meanwhile, the conference heard that the "appalling" Garda radio communications system was forcing members to use private mobile phones on duty.

AGSI executive member Willie Gleeson said the union fully supported a motion calling on members to stop using their own phones until the situation was addressed.

“It’s an absolute shambles all over the country,” he said.

However, he said Justice Minister Michael McDowell had committed to spending €100m on a new Garda communications system.

“I hope it’s true and that it will be followed through because we’ve been waiting a long time,” he said.