A country-based police officer, temporarily stood down after handing an unclaimed bicycle to a local senior citizen, has been exonerated by an internal disciplinary inquiry. The officer had come under scrutiny for bestowing the bike without completing the necessary documentation amid the Covid-19 pandemic, as past reports suggest. The Garda Representative Association (GRA), praising the decision, stated that this case had undermined efforts towards sound community policing.
The officer was reinstated to his duties during the previous summer after an exoneration from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI). Despite this, he was still subjected to disciplinary process encountering charges like tarnishing the image of the force and misuse of property, and was forbidden from any public interactions.
Following a recent four-day hearing, the inquiry board dismissed these claims on a Tuesday. The board’s suggestion that Commissioner Drew Harris absolves the member entirely of any culpability was welcomed by GRA’s general secretary, Ronan Slevin. He anticipates the full report.
Mr Slevin claimed the ordeal had highlighted the disconnect between An Garda Síochána’s management and its front-line officers yet again. He criticized their lack of sensible judgement and appropriate reactions during the examination of community policing matters.
The GRA plans to broach this concern in a conversation with Justice Minister Helen McEntee on the same Tuesday. A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána chose not to discuss specific disciplinary procedures, including inquiry board outcomes.