Minister defends reserve force proposal

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has rejected suggestions by senior gardaí that his plan to establish a reserve force is a "Mad Hatter scheme".

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) has strongly criticised the Minister's proposals, claiming the reservists would cause extra work for full-time gardaí and that confidential information would be leaked.

Such criticism was "very wide of the mark", Mr McDowell said yesterday. The Garda Reserve would supplement the strength of the Garda Síochána and be particularly valuable in developing close links with the community, he said.

The reservists would be fully trained for their designated duties, he said. "Reserve members will be given very carefully selected powers and duties, they will be properly trained for whatever they are asked to do, and they will always work under the supervision of regular members of the force."

However, AGSI president Joe Dirwan said the reservists would constitute a drain on Garda resources, as full-time members will have to "babysit" them and clean up their mistakes.

He believed criminal elements would try to infiltrate the force and that people could use membership to try to settle scores. He called on the Minister to appoint more full-time gardaí.

But Mr McDowell said the reserve, whose members will not be paid wages, was not an attempt to provide a cut-price Garda force.

"It is in no way intended as a substitute for increased Garda recruitment, as the current recruitment of 2,000 extra gardaí clearly demonstrates."

Reservists will receive 24 hours' training over 12 weeks before they are put on duty. They are likely to be deployed mainly on the beat in residential areas, at public order flashpoints and Garda checkpoints. However, they will also have access to the Garda Pulse computer system which holds details of ongoing investigations and intelligence.

Mr McDowell has asked the Garda Commissioner to recruit 900 reservists by next September. A full force of 4,000 is envisaged. Mr McDowell called on the AGSI to co-operate.

Labour Party justice spokesman Joe Costello said the Minister should publish a draft of the regulations to outline fully the powers and role of the reservists and reassure people that the force would not become a haven for vigilantism. "I believe that a reserve force could have a useful role to play in assisting the force in certain circumstances, but we need much more clarity from the Minister in regard to what he is actually proposing."