Garda frustration 'boiling over' at volume of 'extraordinary events' such as Trump visit

US President Donald Trump is due to fly into Dublin Airport on Air Force One on September 12, where he will meet Irish President Catherine Connolly and Government leaders. Gardaí cannot take leave during such an "extraordinary event". (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

The leadership of the largest garda organisation is coming under increasing pressure to take industrial action in a dispute over the number of “extraordinary events” around the EU Presidency and State visits and the impact on gardaí.

The Dublin regional committee of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) held a three-hour closed meeting on Monday in which it requested the organisation’s central executive committee (CEC) to consider some sort of industrial action.

The CEC, the national governing body of the GRA, is due to meet on Wednesday and Thursday. The GRA represents 11,740 frontline gardaí.

Garda sources have said that frustration is "boiling over" at the increasing number of these major events and the impact of cancelled rest periods and rest days in policing them, as well as issues over 'subsistence' or 'sub' payments.

The recent announcement that US President Donald Trump would visit Ireland on September 12 comes on the back of several EU Presidency events, including a series of them this week.

After it emerged that Mr Trump would be coming, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly declared the visit an “extraordinary event”.

This means gardaí cannot take leave and that rest days are changed in order to maximise the number of gardaí available for policing before and during the event.

Commenting on what the Dublin GRA representatives wanted, one source said: “Some sort of tangible action regarding the amount of extraordinary events and sub and travel [allowances].” 

‘Subsistence’ relates to tax-free allowances for food, drink and accommodation expenses, when covering events like EU Presidency events, away from a garda's permanent station.

The source added: “The main issue with extraordinary events is the breaches of rest periods and cancelling of rest days ad nauseam.” 

The US President is due to fly into Dublin Airport on Air Force One on September 12, where he will meet Irish President Catherine Connolly and Government leaders.

He will then fly to Shannon Airport and travel by helicopter to visit his golf resort at Doonbeg, Co Clare, where the Irish Open is being held.

The policing and security operation will involve thousands of gardaí and will be a major logistical challenge for gardaí. They will be assisted by aviation and transport authorities as well as the Defence Forces.

As part of the “extraordinary event”, gardaí from Dublin and elsewhere will have to source their own accommodation in Clare, within a maximum budget of €160 per night.

Outside of the national delegate conference, the CEC is the national decision-making body of the GRA. There are 31 representatives on it, including eight from the Dublin Metropolitan Region.

“There will have to be a national decision in the GRA,” one source said. “If not, the Dublin Metropolitan Region reps are insisting on going it alone and leaving the GRA.” 

There is concern at national level at the level of “disaffection” among Dublin Metropolitan Region gardaí and acknowledge they are being “disproportionately affected” by all the EU events.