Young gardaí ‘betrayed and pilloried’ by senior management

Young and inexperienced probationer gardai who were assigned cases they should never have been have found themselves caught up in the allegations raised by the Garda whistleblower and have been “betrayed and pilloried” by senior management, the largest Garda staff body has said.

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) added that when the conduct of some Garda investigations was internally examined and disciplinary proceedings begun, it was the junior members of the force that were sanctioned.

In a repeat of the human resources environment that prevailed in the Donegal division when the corruption occurred that was later investigated by the Morris tribunal, the GRA said the Bailieborough district that Sgt Maurice McCabe’s allegation centred on was often the first place newly appointed superintendents were posted to.

“There was no inspector to support them, leaving the management bereft of stability, continuity and experience,” association general secretary PJ Stone said writing in the latest issue of the GRA’s official magazine Garda Review.

“There were long absences of supervision and management as a result. Now, when the organisation has been widely criticised, it is the junior members involved who have been most affected.

“In truth, they have been forsaken, betrayed and pilloried by those who had a duty of care towards them.”

"Experienced detectives would - in any other garda division- normally have investigated all of these cases; yet for a period of 20 years no permanent detectives were appointed in the Cavan and Monaghan Garda division.

This had not been highlighted in the Guerin report on the whistleblower affair, but was “ an irregularity that needs explanation”.

The GRA had highlighted for years the lack of supervision of young members by experienced officers; despite such supervision being enshrined in their training as a central plank.

Mr Stone added that while the Guerin report, which was published last month and examined how the Department of Justice and Garda had investigated the issues raised by Sgt McCabe, was redacted, the names of his association's members who featured in the report were circulating within the force.

The report had also identified the poor state of Bailieborough Garda station as one possible factor in the work conducted from it at times falling short.

Mr Stone said the Government should immediately invest in the station as a means of demonstrating “there is the political will to reinvest in policing for the future”.

The Guerin report found that many serious allegations from victims were not properly investigated, up to and including sexual offences. In some cases statements were lost or withdrawn in unexplained circumstances and pieces of evidence were also lost, including a computer owned by a priest that was suspected to contain images of child sexual abuse.

In some botched investigations “the want of effective supervision of probationer gardaí” was a serious matter that warranted investigation.

Sean Guerin SC also expressed his surprise that some cases, including those that appeared to be serious assaults with a sexual dimension, were left in the hands of probationer gardaí.

He also outlined the evidence of one Garda member who suggested some cases that would likely warrant protracted investigation were not properly dealt with because few Garda members served in the area long enough to fully commit to them.