Gardaí in conference - A chance to commit to reform

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) opens its 36th annual conference in Killarney today. It is reasonable to say that none of the previous 35 conferences opened in an atmosphere as bristling as the one that prevails today.

These troubling circumstances are echoed in the reduced trust the public has in the force. This situation, which does not reflect the decency or commitment of the majority of gardaí, is unhealthy for the force and unacceptable to the public. This collapse is reflected by low morale across the 13,159-member force and raises issues which must be confronted if the gardaí are to once again play the vital part we all need them to play in our society. A seemingly unending litany of controversy and scandal, of shocking disclosure after shocking disclosure culminated with the resignation, though that hardly seems the right word, of former Garda commissioner Martin Callinan.

A deteriorating relationship with the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission and unacceptable treatment of whistleblowers all add to the sense of an organisation in freefall, one unable to meet the standards of professionalism and communication expected today.