Garda Inspectorate report: Reform delay is damaging police force

It might not be entirely wise to allow the extreme violence and criminality of Love/Hate to influence how An Garda Síochána is managed or reformed but the series did give a glimpse of the extremes, the threat and personal risk, some members of our police force might face. Even if the television drama used poetic licence, it looked into a world most of us are more than happy not to know.

Gardaí do not have that option and they must be given every support in their efforts to confront professional criminals. However, the force and its officers are obliged to ensure that the very best management practices and structures are in place so it can best achieve its objectives. Like all corporations, the force must continually reinvent itself if it is to be efficient, remain relevant, and enjoy the support of society, support essential to its legitimacy.

If Love/Hate might be discounted as fantasy, and even that is doubtful, it may be impossible to ignore the allegations of deep garda misconduct given during the Ian Bailey case against the Garda Commissioner and the State under way in the High Court. It must be emphasised that, at this stage, the allegations are no more than that and the court’s eventual ruling is the only and final arbiter, but if they are vindicated then the force, and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald, will indeed face a terrible vista.