Garda Commissioner flags policing and budgetary pressures

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris highlighted 'a number of budgetary pressures' the organisation was under. 

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said the force is pressed to provide an adequate policing response to migration-related issues, the threat posed by highly-dangerous synthetic opioid drugs, and rising deaths on Irish roads.

The police chief said the organisation is under budgetary pressure as a result of unplanned demand for policing services — and the resulting overtime costs — as well as the money needed to provide training to members and pay for the costs of having gardaí do court work.

Mr Harris also pointed out that the budget being provided for the implementation of landmark policing reform legislation — the Policing, Security and Community Safety (PSCS) Act 2024 — would not cover the “totality of costs” involved.

The various warnings are contained in the minutes of the most recent private meeting between the commissioner and the Policing Authority.

The minutes highlight a long-running dispute between the authority and the commissioner over accessing internal human rights advice on the continued use of ‘spit hoods’ or ‘spit guards’ on some suspects, which were introduced during Covid to protect members.

The minutes also appear to indicate ongoing issues in relation to the implementation of linked reports on investigating child sexual abuse, produced by the Garda Inspectorate in 2012 and 2017, including issues around resourcing, technology, garda wellbeing, and the “fundamental importance” of cooperation among the relevant agencies.

The minutes said that the commissioner was happy with a number of developments during 2023, including recruitment despite a tight labour market, successful drug operations, and falling murder numbers.

“The commissioner highlighted a number of areas of challenge from the perspective of providing a policing response including migration due to war and persecution, the increase in the appearance of synthetic opioids and the number of deaths on Irish roads,” according the minutes’ report.

It said Mr Harris also highlighted “a number of budgetary pressures” the organisation was under. 

These were linked to the requirement to respond to additional policing demand and consequential overtime costs.

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

Separately, Garda assistant commissioner for Dublin, Angela Willis told Dublin city councillors on Monday that gardaí policed 307 protests in 2023.

In the minutes, Mr Harris said there were also costs involved in training members and courts work.

The report said the commissioner outlined “a number of areas of primary concern” regarding the organisation’s state of readiness to give operational effect to the PSCS, enacted last February.

He told authority members that the PSCS act would affect the priorities for training and the capacity to provide training.

The commissioner highlighted the importance of practical, applied skills through training.

Authority members asked would in-person, as opposed to online, training in the area of coercive control be reinstated. The commissioner said the request would be given consideration.

The authority also asked about investigations into anti-immigration protests, including “the role of agitators on social media”.