Drew Harris responds to GRA snub listing key garda reforms in new statement

Commissioner Drew Harris speaking at the launch of the New Juvenile Protocol Launched for dealing with Murder and Rape trials involving children. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins Photos

The Garda Commissioner has issued a statement to the Garda Representative Association (GRA) saying what he would have wanted to say if he had been invited to attend their annual conference this year.

As well as listing all the things he has initiated to improve the conditions of rank-and-file Gardaí — even down to a new baseball cap — Drew Harris also hints that he would still very much like to go to the GRA’s conference in Co Kerry in April.

Earlier this year, GRA members voted not to invite the Commissioner for the second consecutive year.

When it happened last year, the Commissioner said he was “baffled” by the then-unprecedented decision not to invite him.

This was despite discontent among Garda members on a range of issues, including a long-running dispute over proposed changes to working rosters.

Gardaí also have issues with internal disciplinary and suspension processes, along with other policies.

In a statement to the GRA’s 11,300 members tonight, Commissioner Harris said: “Regrettably, the Central Executive Committee of the GRA has decided not to extend an invitation to me, in my capacity as Commissioner, to address your annual conference.

“The correspondence informing me of this decision advises that this reflects the views of both the (GRA) executive and you, the Gardaí they represent.

“Accordingly, I feel it is appropriate that I relay to you some important elements of what I would have included in my address to your annual conference.” 

He then pointed out that since the last GRA conference he attended in 2023, a range of new measures have been put in place by management to support Gardaí.

He then listed them in his statement, including a new roster “agreed following extensive negotiations with the GRA” and an increase in Garda trainee allowances.

The Commissioner also listed the rollout of over 700 body cameras for Gardaí in Dublin, Limerick, and Waterford and referenced his successful petition for the increased penalty from 7 to 12 years for assaulting a member of the Garda Síochána.

The provision of additional protective equipment, including stronger incapacitant spray, improved non-lethal equipment, and vehicles—including water cannons—as well as training for public order Gardaí, was also listed.

The Commissioner, who is due to retire from his role around May, also cited a new operational uniform, a new baseball cap, and a general-purpose safety helmet for frontline Gardaí.

He said these and other improvements are “in addition to the large number of supports and improvements brought about in response to requests by Gardaí over the last number of years.” 

He ended by telling GRA members: “I remain open to productive and fruitful engagement with all the staff associations, particularly at annual conferences, which offer an unparalleled opportunity for professional and respectful engagement.”

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