Drew Harris rejects GRA claims about bullying in An Garda Síochána

GRA assistant general secretary Tara McManus and GRA president Brendan O’Connor at the 45th GRA annual delegates conference, held in Westport, Co Mayo. Picture: Conor Ó Mearáin

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has denied that bullying is a problem in the force, despite allegations that rank and file gardaí are suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to toxic workplace cultures.

Bullying, stress, and heavy workloads are causing gardaí to leave An Garda Síochána, feeding a recruitment and retention crisis in the force, heard the Garda Representative Association (GRA) annual conference in Westport, Co Mayo.

The Garda commissioner was heckled and jeered by some 200 Garda members when he said he could not be the only one to make compromises in the ongoing roster dispute.

Gardaí have been unhappy with rosters and the GRA claims that the new rosters would lead to gardaí working an additional 47 shifts per year compared to the pre-covid roster and 78 days extra compared to what is being worked currently in the covid emergency roster.

The Garda commissioner said that the GRA and Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors rejected rosters, despite 64 day-long meetings on rosters over three years.

However, the GRA said that the commissioner has been unwilling to negotiate.

GRA president Brendan O’Connor said that rosters are “a very sensitive issue”.

“The atmosphere in the room was indicative of the feeling the commissioner lacked a bit of sensitivity to the strength of feeling on the issue,” said Mr O’Connor.

It is about members and their work-life balance and how it impacts their families. Policing is a difficult career. It does impact on families.

“Loved ones are going out of the house at Christmas, at the weekends, when everyone is off and the guards are going to work — just thought it was a bit insensitive that it has been referred to in a flippant manner.

“We are the people who have made the compromise. We won conditions of employment for our members and they’re simply not going to be given up.”

Bullying and stress were also raised at the GRA conference as a major concern for rank and file gardaí.

A GRA study found that one in four gardaí is suffering from PTSD or is on the verge of developing it.

GRA assistant general secretary Tara McManus said bullying is such a problem in the force that when members leave their toxic workplaces, it feels like “leaving an abusive relationship”.

However, Mr Harris said he “did not believe” that there is a problem with bullying in An Garda Síochána.

“When I look to the cultural audit, people actually reported very positive relationships with their immediate peers and indeed their immediate supervisors,” said the commissioner.

“So there may indeed have been individuals who have referred to incidents of bullying but, even saying all of that, we have very sophisticated and developed systems in the organisation to receive reports of bullying and then dealing with those quickly. They are all well-developed policies and well-practised within An Garda Síochána.”

At 'breaking point'

However, Detective Garda Mark Ferris from Dublin Metropolitan Region West division said that gardaí are at “breaking point”.

A motion calling for Garda management to set a maximum number of investigations was passed at the GRA conference. It heard that some gardaí have to investigate from 60 to 150 incidents. 

“The workload is immense and it takes a toll on officers,” the GRA conference was told.