Garda rank-and-file overwhelmingly vote no confidence in Drew Harris
The results of the ballots of 10,800 members to the question 'Do you have confidence in the Garda Commissioner?’ had a very high expected turnout which ultimately reached 84%. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA
Garda rank-and-file members have voted overwhelmingly that they have no confidence in Garda Commissioner Drew Harris by a margin of 98.7%, ballots from the Garda Representative Association (GRA) revealed on Wednesday.
The results of the ballot of 10,800 members to the question 'Do you have confidence in the Garda Commissioner?’ had a very high expected turnout which ultimately reached 84%.
Of the 9,129 members who voted, just 116 said they did have confidence in Commissioner Harris, while 9,013 (98.7%) said they did not.
It is the first time in the 100-year history of the organisation that such a ballot has been taken of gardaí by a staff association.
GRA President Brendan O’Connor said that the men and women of An Garda Síochána “do not have confidence in the organisation and the direction it’s going”.
He urged senior garda management and the Government to reflect on the decision and to come forward with proposals to decide a path forward.
“It’s a sad day for policing in Ireland,” he said. “We’re not trying to force [Mr Harris] from office. This vote says something has to change. This is not about personality, it’s about performance and the direction of policing.”
Mr O’Connor said that frontline gardaí do not feel supported to do their job and that disillusionment was spread across the organisation.
“The mindset and management culture needs to change,” he said.
“There is a crisis here and someone needs to at least acknowledge it.”
GRA officials also said they were “shocked” themselves at the result of the ballot.
The GRA made the decision to hold the vote on July 26 after a meeting of the association’s central executive committee.
That decision was made after Commissioner Harris announced that the pre-covid roster would be reintroduced on November 6, bringing to an end the current emergency roster.
This would mean the current 12-hour shift, worked by four units over four days, with four days off, would be replaced by the old 10-hour shift, worked by five units over six days, with four days off.
The GRA argues that the previously agreed roster was on the basis of there being sufficient rank-and-file gardaí to fill the five shifts, and that the current numbers do not allow for that.
Assistant General Secretary Tara McManus said that a lot of indications point to the reintroduction of the old roster in November being likely to lead to a slew of resignations within An Garda Síochána.
“We need a commissioner who’ll listen to our concerns,” she said, describing a huge issue with morale within the gardaí.
Ms McManus said that she conducts exit interviews and that those leaving describe a “toxic culture” and say it’s “like walking away from an abusive relationship”.
Ms McManus and other GRA figures also criticised Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, and accused her of failing to engage with the union on their concerns.
GRA general secretary Ronan Slevin said that they had previously engaged with Simon Harris when he was Justice Minister, but that he had written three times since Ms McEntee resumed the role in June and had yet to receive a date or an invitation to meet.
“The Taoiseach and Minister for Justice must now listen to the ordinary frontline rank and file gardaí,” he said.
“The result proves that the commissioner has lost confidence of an overwhelming majority of the garda force.
“Government now needs to urgently intervene and make changes to help improve overall employee wellbeing and morale, and provide the public with the policing service they deserve.”
The GRA will now hold a specially convened Delegates Conference later this month to discuss the result of the ballot where they will “take direction from delegates on the next course of action”.
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