Proposals are platform to work with - GRA submission

The submission made this week by the Garda Representative Association to the Policing Commission is a bit like the curate’s egg – good in parts.

On the one hand, it is dismissive of the Garda Reserve as ‘unsuitable’ without offering any detailed explanation of why this is so. It is equally contemptious of the commission’s proposal for direct entry to the force at senior officer level.

One the other, it offers an extensive and forensic evaluation of the needs of the force that, up to now, senior management have failed to fully articulate.

There seems to be an inherent contradiction in the GRA’s rejection of both the reserve and senior level appointments.

Since the Garda Reserve was formed in 2006, it has grown to more than 600 members and the Government’s plan is to increase that to 2,00 by 2021. It is an unpaid reserve force tasked with assisting regular gardaí and, despite its ‘Dad’s Army’ image, many members are volunteers in their 20s and 30s who join to see if they would enjoy a full-time career in An Garda Síochána.

The Garda Reserve members who are willing to gain unpaid, hand’s-on experience of policing are deemed unsuitable by the GRA. It said talent should be identified and fostered inside the force but what better way for potential recruits to show their talent than to join the Garda Reserve?

The association also deems unsuitable senior level appointments of highly experienced and capable people from other walks of life. In its submission, it said senior level appointments would be a “damning reflection” on the organisation, would “send out a stark signal”, and negatively impact on morale.

That is time-warp thinking. The reality is that, while the majority of members of the force do their job well, there has been for a number of years a lack of talent at senior level. There is much to recommend going up the ranks of any organisation but there are times where appointments at senior level are appropriate.

The GRA’s submission appears more coherent when dealing with the overall needs of An Garda Síochána. In its 71-page submission, the GRA said the practice of deploying gardaí to minor road traffic accidents (resulting in material damage only) “should be discontinued” except in certain cases.

That seems a sensible proposal because, as it stands, far too much garda time is taken with dealing with and, effectively, assisting insurance companies in processing claims arising out of minor collisions. It also should not have to deal with the plethora of home alarms, many of which are accidental. If alarm owners want monitoring they should pay for it themselves. Our police force has better things to do.

The GRA is also on strong ground when it asserts that the deployment of scare resources for so-called drive-offs (where motorists leave forecourts without paying for fuel) should be examined. Members of An Garda Síochána are ‘Guardians Of The Peace’, not guardians of the forecourts.

Notwithstanding some caveats, the GRA’s submission is a useful contribution to the debate on policing in Ireland.