Members of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) are urging Justice Minister Helen McEntee and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to conduct an extensive revision on how accusations against force officers are probed. The middle-ranking officers of the Garda are also expressing dissatisfaction over the new uniforms launched last year, suggesting officers suffer from the cold whilst wearing them. They are also proposing that Ms McEntee takes inspiration from employers such as Ryanair and invests in housing for the gardaí.
The AGSI members desire Ms McEntee to command an inquiry into Commissioner Harris’s inspection procedures, whether they are pertaining to discipline or criminal matters. They are also requesting another revision concerning how the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) manages the investigation of Garda members.
These pleas will be brought forth and scrutinised at the AGSI’s annual delegate conference, which is due to commence on Monday in Westport, Co Mayo. This move follows an unresolved dispute concerning a four-year scrutiny process surrounding a guard from the midlands who, without prior consent, took a bicycle from a Garda station and gifted it to an elderly local resident.
The DPP established in 2021 that the officer had no criminal charges to answer to, following an allegation made by a co-worker a year earlier that the bicycle had been stolen. The officer was subsequently scrutinised under Garda’s violation of discipline regulations but was cleared earlier this month.
Despite being reinstated to non-public-facing restrictive duties, he was suspended in early 2020 and was not fully reinstated until last week. This case, notably the severity of the probes and the lengthy duration, has faced intense criticism. The Garda Representative Association (GRA), in particular, stated that a “sledgehammer was used to crack a nut”.
AGSI delegates from Westmeath will urge Ms McEntee to scrutinise the conduct of the Commissioner’s disciplinary investigations and linked timeframes, hoping for involvement from Mr Harris in this examination. They will also request Ms McEntee to reevaluate the method in which Gsoc carries out their inquiries and corresponding deadlines.
In parallel, Garda Sergeants and Inspectors from the Cork City division hold the opinion that alterations should be implemented to Garda’s disciplinary regulations. This is to ascertain that if a Garda member counter argues the verdict of an inspecting superintendent, the judgement to that should be made by a chief superintendent who has not been a part of the case before.
A plethora of motions revolving around the new Garda uniform are slated to be discussed at the approaching conference. The topics of this debate are expected to warrant responses from Ms McEntee and Mr Harris on Tuesday. A common perspective seems to be that the current uniform does not provide enough heat.
Garda Sergeants and Inspectors from north central Dublin have expressed their anxiety and are seeking an immediate reassessment of the present operational uniform. They believe the uniform is not serving its intended purpose, primarily due to the substandard material quality that is unable to conserve heat. The resulting compromise is having to wear a hi-vis jacket while on indoor duty, which proves to be inconvenient.
Calls for adding an extra layer of clothing like a fleece or something equivalent have been made by delegates from south central Dublin. This demand has sprung out of concerns raised by members pertaining to the present uniform’s poor insulation capabilities.
Introduced in 2022, the redesigned uniform is two-tone consisting of sharp yellow and deep navy blue. This upgraded uniform features soft shell and rainproof jackets. The traditional shirts and neckties previously sported by gardaí have been replaced with a sky-blue polo shirt. Enhancements also include “operational trousers” that come with ample exterior thigh pockets and are more loosely fitted than their predecessors, with base layers supplied as well.
Garda Sergeants and Inspectors operating in the Dublin north division have recognized the need for lobbying Ms McEntee to contemplate an investment in providing housing for the members of An Garda Síochána in response to the ongoing property market turmoil.