Dublin riots show that the current Garda model of policing is no longer viable

I have repeated on many occasions that the Garda Síochana is not a corporate business. It is a public service, writes retired Garda Sergeant Christy Galligan.

The disengagement of gardaí within their communities because of a policing model and strategy more concerned with statistical performances and a hands-off approach has all but removed the very essence of what it is to be a member of An Garda Siochána. Photo: Sam Boal / © RollingNews.ie

The despicable and uncalled for rioting in Dublin on November 23 was a culmination of many things.

One of those is the disengagement of gardaí within their communities because of a policing model and strategy more concerned with statistical performances and a hands-off approach, rather than allowing the force to do what it was always good at doing, involving itself in communities.