Humphreys: 'Processes in place to ensure cancelling 999 calls never happens again'

Assurances from Garda commissioner that when someone calls emergency services they can trust that they will be helped

The minister for justice has said the practice of cancelling thousands of emergency calls "should not have happened" and that there are now processes in place to ensure it "never happens again".

The minister said that Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has "assured" her that when someone calls 999 now they can expect and trust that gardaí will help.  However, Heather Humphreys said she is unable to make any further comment until a review is completed.

The Garda Commissioner apologised on Thursday after an internal review found 3,120 domestic violence calls were marked as cancelled, rather than progressed onto the Pulse system for further investigation.

"What happened here is significantly below the high standards that the public expects of the gardaí...and there are new processes in place to ensure that this never happens again," Ms Humphreys said.

The problem was identified within An Garda Síochána last October as part of its own internal processes, and the Department of Justice was informed in December by the force that it had begun to examine the cancellation of 999 calls.

In February, the then Justice Minister Helen McEntee asked the Policing Authority to oversee the investigation by the gardaí into the incident.

Ms Humphreys said she was particularly concerned that anyone experiencing domestic abuse, who "gathered up the courage to seek assistance may not have received it".

"The Policing Authority will be providing a report to me when they complete their consideration of the issue, and why we have heard some of the details of this yesterday.

"We have to wait and see the full report from the Police Authority. 

"It's not possible to make any definitive conclusions until it is (completed), but I am confident that appropriate steps are being taken to ensure that these types of issues will not arise.

 "This is an ongoing process, and I don't want to start to preempt any findings."

The minister pledged that changes will be made if there are needed, but stressed that the investigation is ongoing and when concluded, a report will be provided to the Department of Justice.

We have to wait until those processes are concluded, but it is clear that something went wrong, it should not have happened.

Ms Humphreys says changes to protocol mean a call can now only be cancelled by a supervisor.

"Additional training will be provided to staff, and of course it is a difficult job that they deal with because they're dealing with people who are traumatised," she said.

"But we must ensure that they have the proper skills to carry out their duties — it's a serious issue."

The vice president of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) has questioned why there was a six-month delay in the reporting to the Policing Authority about the cancellation of 999 calls.

Speaking on RTE radio, Brendan O’Connor said that he did not understand “the narrative” or suggestion that victims or vulnerable people had dialled 999 and that gardaí did not respond.

“I don’t understand how that situation could arise. We’re an emergency service, generally we would drop everything and respond," he said.

Mr O’Connor pointed out that every call was recorded and he wanted the review to “delve into the detail” into each and every call to see what had happened. 

“What sort of calls were cancelled, why were they cancelled and why," he said.

Sinn Féin's justice spokesman Martin Kenny has said that Commissioner Harris should come before the Oireachtas Justice Committee to report on the matter.