Call to move gardaí from desk duty to the front line

Gardaí should be relieved of desk-based duties such as filing incident reports and making entries to the force’s Pulse computer system and allowed out to police, Garda representative bodies say.

In submissions to the Garda Inspectorate ahead of the completion of its report on reforming the force, the Garda Representative Association (GRA) and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) outlined numerous functions that could be taken over by civilian personnel.

The draft report Changing Policing in Ireland recommends a shift in policy to free up 1,000 officers for traditional, core policing duties.

Such a move is widely considered a critical aspect of policing reform from both a Garda and public perspective following a period of reduction in overall numbers, decline in senior experience and the closure of rural stations.

The draft inspectorate report, details of which were published by The Irish Times last week, said a fresh injection of frontline resources could come about through significant restructuring. The inspectorate is an independent statutory body tasked with reporting on and providing advice on best practice in policing.

In its prereport submission, part of which focused on immigration, the GRA said officers were not best suited “behind a desk processing paperwork” and the establishment of a separate immigration authority would immediately free up 200 gardaí.

“Frontline officers are first responders and should be utilised to triage and stabilise an evolving situation, or make arrests, and then return to frontline duty allowing other officers to follow up,” it said. “All too often, frontline officers respond to calls and then become immersed in specific cases and are effectively removed from the frontline.”

Rather, it said, they should have a greater standing in the force “both in terms of stature and remuneration . . . so the very best are incentivised to remain at the coalface”.

Civilian staff could take on several duties including file preparation and logging incidents into the Pulse computer system, it added.

“Our members have a long tradition of community engagement from local businesses to football clubs. Feedback from our membership suggests this has been undermined by the closure of rural Garda stations.”

Optimal numbers

The GRA also outlined the importance of examining the “optimal numbers needed to police Ireland”, something sources within the organisation said they are concerned may not be addressed in the final report.

It also outlined a host of new skills that should be the focus of future recruitment. Language and cultural knowledge, forensic computer and accounting abilities and legal expertise would help the force in an era increasingly defined by extremist groups and sophisticated organised crime.

The AGSI held a similar view of frontline policing at the heart of the service, saying it "did not support the station rationalisation process and believe this will impact on policing in Ireland in the future".

It says the force is “top heavy” with senior managers at assistant commissioner level and called for an increase at inspector and sergeant level.

Various roles currently executed by gardaí, including prison and cash escorts, the serving of summons and bail management, immigration and crowd control at sporting events, could be farmed out to civilians, it said.