Shock and disbelief at ongoing cancellation of 999 calls

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has said a number of gardaí are under investigation after they continued to cancel 999 calls without going through the proper procedure. File picture

People working to help victims of domestic violence are in shock and disbelief at the ongoing cancelling of 999 calls by gardaí, the head of Safe Ireland has said.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has said a number of gardaí are under investigation after they continued to cancel 999 calls without going through the proper procedure.

The Policing Authority has been told a further 53 emergency calls were cancelled without a proper policing response, even after previous improper cancellations had been highlighted earlier this year and new procedures had been put in place.

There is an ongoing review of 200,000 calls, 3,000 of which are related to domestic violence.

Since the issue first came to light, assurances were given that a significant programme of staff retraining and changes to call and dispatch technology had been introduced to prevent 999 calls from being cancelled.

Mary McDermott, chief executive of Safe Ireland, said the charity would be seeking clarification on why calls continued to be cut off.

Is it attitude, is it training, is it that people are just taking decisions themselves, regardless of protocols?

“When women experiencing domestic violence make a 999 emergency call, the stress is extreme, their lives can be in danger.

“This situation needs to be met with a full and trusted response and with a full set of protocols that are adhered to, in every case, not just if and when somebody on the phone deems it appropriate,” she said.

Ms McDermott said the continued cancellation of calls as well as ongoing incidents of poor practice highlighted “the need for immediate and substantive training on coercive control for all members of the force, at all levels”. 

She also added that particular training was needed for those in call centres as they are the first point of contact for many survivors.

Extra training not the solution

However, the chair of the Policing Authority, Bob Collins, said extra training was not the solution to the unanswered 999 calls controversy.

Mr Collins told Newstalk radio that he would “begin to scream” if he heard more calls for extra training.

I agree there is continuing work that needs to be done to ensure people understand the meaning of anxiety, threat and fear and the circumstances that can cause people to ring 999, but in this particular instance, there is nothing to defend it and nothing to justify it.” 

Commenting on the further cancellation of calls, Mr Collins described it as a “strikingly, almost bizarre development”, particularly given the fact the calls would have been cancelled anyway if the procedures had been followed.

Mr Collins went on to say this could have easily had an impact on the quality of service delivered to the public.

“It didn’t, mercifully, in this case. But 53 cancellations is not a small amount. It is very difficult to get one’s head around it,” he added.

Mr Collins said he did not believe reform of An Garda Síochána was impossible, but acknowledged it would be “particularly difficult” to change the culture of a policing service.

“I’ve no doubt that the commissioner is absolutely committed to change and to reform within the organisation – but there is a very considerable amount of work to be done.”