Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has expressed indignation over the decision to cover the coffin of Pearse McAuley, a convicted garda murderer and member of the IRA, with the Tricolour at his funeral last week. Simon Harris, the newly appointed leader of Fine Gael and presumptive Taoiseach, echoed these sentiments, suggesting the act disrespected the flag. The scene at McAuley’s funeral in Strabane, County Tyrone, was also rebuked by the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI).
AGSI President, Paul Curran described as scandalous the act of draping the national flag over the coffin of a man convicted of killing Detective Jerry McCabe in Adare, County Limerick during a 1996 IRA bank heist. Speaking at the AGSI’s annual conference in Westport, County Mayo, Curran asserted that misuse of the flag in such a manner deeply undermines the Garda and their duty to safeguard the populace.
Curran pointed out that Detective McCabe’s son, Sgt John McCabe, who is following in his father’s career footsteps in Limerick, was present at the conference as an AGSI representative. He acknowledged the continued dedication of the younger McCabe to the mission of the force.
Addressing issues discussed at the conference, Commissioner Harris stated his agreement with the AGSI’s recommendation for a surge in the Garda force to 18,000 members to accommodate population growth and the increasing policing needs. The current government’s plan to increase the Garda from 14,000 to 15,000 is deemed insufficient by AGSI.
Harris agreed that the Garda force needs to increase substantially but raised concerns about difficulties in recruitment. He observed a decrease in intake for the Garda College due to the pandemic, which resulted in fewer new recruits despite more being offered positions.
Mr. Harris vocalised concerns regarding the shortfall in recruitment rates, which were flourishing in 2018, 2019, and the initial months of 2020. He acknowledged the gravity of the situation, attributing it partly to increased job opportunities elsewhere and partly to the Garda’s terms and conditions. He declared that the organisation heavily relies on ramping up its recruitment in order to understand substantial growth in the coming decade. However, the precise ways to achieve this are still being decided.
When addressing the media in Westport, both Mr. Harris and the Justice Minister, Helen McEntee, affirmed their belief in UAE authorities’ complete commitment to aiding their Irish counterparts with the investigation and extradition of Kinahan cartel’s leaders based in Dubai. However, the legal requirements involved here need to be met and this process is time-consuming.
Helen McEntee announced plans to extend the use of Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) to aid in investigating crimes such as attacks on Garda personnel. The escalating gravity of these attacks, along with on-duty intimidation incidents, has led to the decision of including these offences in the technology investigation list. This inclusion in the Facial Recognition Technology Bill allows FRT’s use in investigating offences like child sexual abuse, child kidnapping or abduction, drug-related offences, human trafficking, and assaults on Garda or military members.
While addressing the AGSI conference, Ms. McEntee said, “The era for facial recognition technology is upon us,” stating that this would reduce the burden of manual effort, thereby avoiding delays in arrests and prosecutions.
Olga Cronin of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, however, raised concerns regarding the technology’s ‘mission creep’ and ‘inherently flawed’ nature. Further, TJ McIntyre, a law professor from UCD, stated that expanding FRT’s scope would do little to alleviate concerns about the technology’s bias and its propensity to generate erroneous results. Similarly, Digital Rights Ireland’s Simon McGarr cautioned against a rapid escalation in the application of facial recognition technology for various offences.