Rank and file gardaí criticise Commissioner Drew Harris as conference gets under way without him
The Garda Representative Association (GRA) has doubled down on its opposition to the controversial Operational Policing Model (OPM) rolled out by Commissioner Drew Harris and which is opposed by many gardaí.
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Sunday World
3 days ago
- Sunday World
€40m is being held by An Garda Síochána in cash evidence, committee hears
FLUSH | Garda Commissioner Drew Harris was before the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris. Photo: Garrett White/PA Garda Commissioner Drew Harris was before the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC) when members questioned him on how much money the organisation held in bank notes, which is evidence. In response, Mr Harris confirmed the amount held across the garda estate was in the order of €40 million. While the money will eventually be returned to the exchequer, this will only happen when the different investigations relating to the cash amounts conclude. Mr Harris said there is a 'robust' system in place, called a property in evidence management system (PEM), which gives An Garda Síochána 'assurance around accounting for all of the things' retained, including money, firearms and drugs. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris. Photo: Garrett White/PA News in 90 Seconds - June 26th However, Mr Harris said he did have a concern that "if an individual member or staff member of An Garda Síochána has criminal intent, those systems can be defeated'. 'Also of concern was the amount of cash that we are holding. That is an obvious concern for us,' Mr Harris said. 'That's why there's been so much work gone into why are we holding it, and what are the routes to make sure it's more secure, and how do we, as quickly as possible, get rid of it. 'Similarly with firearms, so many with drugs,' he added. The Garda Commissioner told the committee there were sufficient controls in place to ensure evidence did not go missing. However, he caveated that reassurance, by outlining to the committee one incident that saw cannabis stolen from a Garda station. According to Mr Harris, two kilos of cannabis was taken from a locker in a Carlow Garda Station in late 2023. Read more 'That was drugs which should probably have been secured within the PEM system, and they were stolen from a locker,' Mr Harris said. Fianna Fáil TD and vice-chair of PAC, Paul McAuliffe, called for greater transparency, stronger security around evidence held by An Garda Síochána in light of the news that €40 million is currently in storage. '€40 million in cash is a significant amount of money. The public deserves assurances that this money is being held securely, transparently, and strategically,' Mr McAuliffe said. 'There must be a formal financial management strategy established to ensure the money does not lose value while it sits idle, potentially for years, awaiting the outcome of legal processes. This money must be protected not just physically, but financially. €40 million today will not be worth €40 million in five years if it's gathering dust instead of interest.' During the committee hearing, Mr McAuliffe said it was important that PAC was satisfied with the security of the money being held. 'I don't think there is another organization in the state that would have €40 million euro in bank notes, and that the Public Accounts Committee wouldn't have a good line of sight of what the security measures are, and the steps that are in place to protect it,' he said.
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Irish Examiner
Policing Authority recommends 'radical change' in garda recruitment
'Radical change' is needed to Garda retention and recruitment to enable the organisation meet its existing functions, the policing oversight body has said. Policing Authority chair Elaine Byrne also said the ongoing delay in the enactment of policing legislation has meant it has been unable to conduct competitions for senior Garda positions, with potentially 'serious consequences' for the Garda senior leadership team. Writing in the 2024 annual report of the Policing Authority, Ms Byrne said the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act was only commenced last April. Under this, the authority has been renamed the Policing and Community Safety Authority (PCSA). In a separate report to the annual report, the PCSA noted recent changes to the Garda recruitment process, including the fitness procedure, and a reduced timeframe for vetting. The Assessment of Policing Performance during 2024 report said the 'impact of the strain on resources' has affected the organisation's abilities to meet many policing targets for 2024. Policing Authority chair Elaine Byrne (left) with the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in Dublin last year. Drew Harris recently told an Oireachtas committee he expected he would have 15,200 gardaí, rather than 14,200, by now, but that covid and long recruitment processes had affected this. File photo: Leah Farrell/© The report also highlights: Lack of resources is seen as 'detrimental' to the success of the new Garda Operating Model and that 'in the main' gardaí highlight challenges with the model as linked to resources rather than the model itself; Gardaí – such as detectives – cite geographic issues with the new model (which has merged divisions) in that travelling within an expanded division 'takes up considerable time' on a shift; There is a need to examine the investment still needed in technology to assist in the identification of child sexual abuse material; Where technology has been provided, some divisional Protective Services Units have not been trained in it; Low staffing levels in the Garda Online Child Exploitation Unit and the Sexual Crime Management Unit raise concerns at Garda capacity to investigate such crimes; Despite some progress between Gardaí and Tusla in electronically sharing cases, a data sharing agreement has still not been agreed; Significant progress in the joint specialist interviewer training, used in interviewing children who have been sexually abused, with a cohort of 15 gardaí and 15 Tusla social workers trained last September; Significant progress in public order policing with investment in equipment, vehicles and training; Elsewhere, the report cites 'continued success' in tackling high-level organised crime and drug trafficking, but noted that communities 'remain fearful' and the drug-related intimidation and grooming of children into gangs remained a significant issue. The report commends investment in the Garda National Cyber Security Bureau but noted a 64% increase in cases received in 2024 and said, if that continued, its work in reducing backlogs 'may be reversed'. The report said the 'largest risk' facing the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau was the scale of referrals from financial institutions of fraud incidents. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris recently told an Oireachtas committee he expected he would have 15,200 gardaí, rather than 14,200, by now, but that covid and long recruitment processes had affected this. He had introduced measures to speed up the process and aimed to increase annual capacity at Templemore Garda College from 800 to 1,000.
Irish Independent
17-06-2025
- Irish Independent
New policing model is ‘unmitigated disaster' breaking links between gardaí and communities, garda bodies warn
They also say that new regulations on conduct and performance will 'do little' to dispel fears among their members over an 'excessive use of discipline and suspension'. The Garda Representative Association (GRA) and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) appeared before the Justice Committee this afternoon to discuss a range of issues including recruitment and retention, pursuit policy, and discipline within the force. A significant emphasis was placed on the new Garda operating policing model which has moved the organisation from a local district model to a larger divisional one. The GRA's General Secretary, Ronan Slevin, described it as an 'unmitigated disaster' which is 'not fit for purpose'. 'This has created super-sized divisions that span across many counties and has starved communities of local stations and local policing. In many ways, division is the key word here as that is exactly what this model has caused between our trusted, dedicated members and the public and communities that they serve,' Mr Slevin said. AGSI General Secretary, Ronan Clogher, told the committee that an overarching problem with the operating model is the issue of resources. He pointed to the Mayo/Roscommon/Longford division, saying it is a 'geographical area that is completely unpoliceable' and that it is 'impossible to manage a division of that size' which stretches from Blacksod on the west coast to Granard in Longford. He said that resources are being dragged away from smaller towns to provide cover for main towns that act as satellite hubs for the rest of the division. Mr Clogher added that this is 'breaking a link' between gardaí and the communities they police. 'People do not know their guards, the guards do not know their people'. He also said 'silos' were being created within the force between plain clothed and uniformed personnel and that, for a small police for like the Garda, 'that is a very risky thing to happen, particularly in the rural areas'. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more The Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, defended the operating model at the committee last week, saying the old model was unsustainable with changes introduce to 'enhance the service we provide to the public'. Mr Slevin today said that little action is being taken to address the issue of morale while there is ongoing concern about the suspension policy. He added that the excessive use of discipline and suspension has resulted in members being in fear of receiving any form of complaint as there is little trust in the discipline process. He also said that that the recently enacted Conduct, Performance and Standards of Professional Behaviour Regulations 'will do little to dispel this fear'. 'The now infamous bicycle case not only highlighted the excessive use of suspension, but highlights the lack of understanding of how community policing works by senior gardaí. The more recent case in Limerick where a member was cleared of all 22 charges after a near seven-year investigation while languishing on suspension further highlights the fears members face when the perform their duty and complaints and investigations are launched,' Mr Slevin said. There are currently around 90 gardaí suspended for a range of reasons including domestic violence, sexual assault, and drink driving. In relation to garda pursuits, Ronan Slevin said that a recent policy created an issue whereby gardaí can't engage unless they are pursuit trained, but added that there is no pursuit training within An Garda Síochána. 'It leaves our members in the control room and the drivers themselves to make a snap decision on whether you're going to allow a pursuit to continue. 'Your decision is made in a split second and analysed as slowly as possible if there's an error made, and that is causing some serious concern to our members.' He said that if gardaí do not have the power to pursue, then criminals will get away by simply exceeding the speed limit, knowing that the guards can't follow.' The GRA also said that some 17,000 gardaí are needed with the recruitment and retention crisis ongoing for the past five years.
