Garda’s public order policing probed

The Garda Inspectorate is conducting an investigation into the Garda’s handling of public order incidents on the back of concerns over recent protests.

The Policing Authority has requested the inspectorate to conduct the review in light of the policing at the repossession on Dublin’s North Frederick St last September and the Garda review into the policing of the Jobstown water charge protest in November 2014.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has been informed of the investigation and the inspectorate is expected to submit a draft report to the authority by the beginning of March.

The decision to launch an investigation follows a public meeting between the authority and the commissioner at the end of September where the oversight body expressed concerns that lessons, supposed to have been learnt from the Jobstown protest, were not implemented at North Frederick St.

The authority said it had been repeatedly reassured by Garda HQ that policies and practices had changed but questioned this, given the events at the repossession in the north inner city.

During that event, in which occupiers were removed from a building after a court order, private repossession contractors and public order gardaí wore ski masks or balaclavas.

Mr Harris sought a report on the North Frederick St incident after the event.

Assistant Commissioner Barry O’Brien conducted a detailed review of the Jobstown protest and concerns raised in courts during the subsequent failed prosecutions. This was submitted to the authority.

The inspectorate said it has been requested to examine the effectiveness of public order policing.

In particular, the inspection will focus on the contingency planning for, and response to, serious incidents that have the potential to undermine wider public confidence in policing as a result of a serious breakdown in public order,” it said.

According to the terms of reference, the review will look at:

• Effective leadership and the embedding of human rights and the Code of Ethics in public order policing
• Governance and accountability in terms of strategy, policy and assessment of threat risk and harm
• Operational capability (including outside Dublin), capacity and delivery in terms of intelligence, risk assessment, planning, resourcing (including equipment and technology), training, communications, decision making and command
• Post-incident management in terms of investigation, organisational learning and health safety and welfare

Members of the authority have said the review was “timely in light of the report on the incident at An Cosán [Jobstown] and the recent public order incident in North Frederick St”.

At the September meeting, authority chair Josephine Feehily said they had a concern that “community confidence” could be damaged if it appeared to the public that peaceful protests were not being “properly managed” by the gardaí.