Garda body set to reject reserve force

The row between Minister for Justice Michael McDowell and Garda representative associations over the reserve force looks set to deepen today with the opening in Kerry of the annual conference of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (Agsi).

Mr McDowell will address delegates on the issue in Killarney tonight, but not before Agsi president Paschal Feeney delivers his opening speech. Mr Feeney is expected to reiterate in strong terms his association's total opposition to the reserve force.

He is also expected to criticise Mr McDowell's handling of the issue in recent months.

The remaining two days of the conference will be dominated by debate over plans for the part-time force. Motions have been submitted by representatives from almost every Garda division.

Members from the Garda divisions of Wexford-Wicklow, Roscommon-Galway East, Limerick and Clare have all put forward a motion calling on Agsi not to co-operate with the reserve force.

Delegates for eight other divisions and from Agsi's national executive have put down a motion calling for greater investment in the full-time force and the withdrawal of "the reckless proposal" to create a "sub-standard second police force".

One motion backed by 10 of 25 Garda divisions notes the Morris tribunal had criticised levels of training within the force. It calls for opposition to the reserve force, which, it says, will not be adequately trained.

The outcome of this debate is likely to be the passing of a number of motions instructing Agsi's national executive to tell Mr McDowell that sergeants and inspectors across the country will not co-operate with reservists.

Although Agsi and the Garda Representative Association (GRA) have held joint meetings around the country aimed at generating opposition to the reserve force, Agsi's conference represents the first time that either organisation will be mandated to pursue a policy of non-co-operation.

The GRA holds its national conference in four weeks in Galway. GRA members are also set to mandate their national executive to inform Mr McDowell that the association will not be co-operating with the reserve force.

With both national executives bound to pursue their members' wishes, the row over the reserve looks set to become even more entrenched than at present.

Under Mr McDowell's plans, reservists will only work under the supervision of full-time members. That means a policy of non-co-operation by Agsi and GRA members would, in theory, scupper the reserve force.

Last week journalists travelled to Chester with Mr McDowell and Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy to see how British reserve forces work.

Chief Constable Peter Fahy, Cheshire constabulary's most senior officer, told the visiting party that he believed it would be "impossible" to implement the reserve force in Ireland without the co-operation of full-time members.

Mr Conroy said that, despite opposition to the reserve force, a decision had been taken by the Dáil to introduce a 4,000-strong, part-time force, 900 of whom were to be in place by September. He said full-time members would have to accept that decision.

Mr Conroy, who has been strongly criticised by the GRA for his handling of the introduction of the reserve force, will address the conference tomorrow.

Delegates will also discuss a series of motions calling for more firearms training and advanced driving courses.