Child abuse device backlog is the forces 'biggest issue' — Garda Commissioner says

Mr Harris told the Policing Authority there is a need to invest in personnel and strengthen partnerships between relevant agencies, both nationally and internationally. Picture: Colin Keegan/Collins Dublin

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has said that the most pressing issue for gardaí investigating child sexual abuse is the backlog in the examination of devices, and the volume of material.

He told the Policing Authority that an area of particular concern for him is the huge online demand for child abuse imagery, and the challenges posed to investigators by the encryption of data.

In a report last August, the Policing Authority said the continuing three-year backlog in examining digital devices for child abuse material, and for other serious crimes, was a “critical weakness” for the force.

The persistent delays in examining the devices come against the background of a massive increase in types of digital devices — smart phones, laptops, desktops, disk drives, USB keys, gaming consoles and CCTV systems — being sent for examination for a range of crimes, and the rise in child abuse imagery online.

In the minutes of a private meeting in recent weeks between the authority and the commissioner, the Garda chief said the most pressing issues are the backlog in the examination of devices and the volume of material.

Asked about the resources being deployed to deal with the issue, the commissioner said there are plans for further recruitment.

Unintended consequences 

The forensic examination of the devices is conducted by the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau.

The authority said that based on feedback it has received from groups working in the area of child sexual abuse, issues were raised about timeframes for the conducting of interviews with child victims by specialist Garda interviewers.

The authority also asked whether any delays “might give rise to unintended, serious consequences” for the children.

When asked about the areas of most concern in relation to the detection of child sexual abuse, Commissioner Harris referred to the huge online demand for exploitative images of children and the challenges presented by the encryption of data.

He told the authority there is a need to invest in personnel and strengthen partnerships between relevant agencies, both nationally and internationally.

In addition, the meeting addressed the vexed issue of a data-sharing agreement between Gardaí and Tusla, which has been ongoing for some time.

The minutes said that while the system is at an “advanced stage”, there is a “significant degree of complexity” in establishing it.

The authority was tasked by the Minister for Justice to monitor the implementation of the Garda Inspectorate report Responding to Child Sexual Abuse, which was published in February 2012 with a follow-up review published in December 2017.

In a statement on the minutes to the Irish Examiner, the Policing Authority said it expects to provide an update for the Minister in the coming weeks and that its Assessment of Policing Performance in April would provide further details.