IMPACT’s submission to the An Garda Síochána Strategy Statement for 2016-2018 has recommended that over 1,500 fully trained and experienced Gardaí could be released to frontline duties if civilian Garda staff are assigned roles that don’t require the sworn powers of regular gardaí.
The recommendation follows an invitation, from Deputy Garda Commissioner Dónall Ó Cualáin, to submit issues of concern “specific to IMPACT and the future challenges for the Garda organisation and policing in Ireland.”
IMPACT official Shane Lambert, who made the submission, highlighted the recommendation in the Garda Inspectorate Report Changing Policing in Ireland, which said certain roles should be assigned to civilian gardaí.
Shane said implementing the recommendation would deliver tangible benefits to society. “It would not only enable greater presence of Gardaí on our street both operationally and visually but would allow the organisation the scope to expand and develop in different specialist areas such as the cyber-crime unit, increasing the probability of convictions, while also serving as a crime deterrent and promoting best policing practices,” he said.
IMPACT’s submission notes that Changing Policing in Ireland details an analysis of the roles undertaken by members of the force, which found a large percentage of all ranks not assigned to operational duties. This includes 12% of gardaí, 16% of sergeants, 24% of inspectors and 27% of superintendents.
The Inspectorate also found that the number of members in operational and specialist roles had reduced, while Garda Headquarters had seen an increase of 8.6% in members assigned to administrative roles.
Shane explained, “The review shows some non-operational units with very large numbers of sworn members, including the Information and Communication Technology branch, which has 104 sworn members.
“This means there are a good deal of fully trained gardaí carrying out duties that could be performed by civilian staff. If the recommendation is acted upon, it would have the immediate and welcome effect of releasing large numbers of gardaí into crime detection and prevention roles. The recruitment on moratorium has had an effect on the Garda Siochana’s capacity. Assigning non-operational roles to civilian Gardaí is a practical measure to improve capacity,” he said.
IMPACT’s full submission to the An Garda Síochána Strategy Statement for 2016-2018 is available here.
