Superintendents seek longer careers

Garda superintendents have urged Tánaiste and Minister for Justice Michael McDowell to allow them to continue working until they are aged 63 rather than the current retirement age of 60.

The president of the Association of Garda Superintendents, Tom Neville, told the association's annual conference that the current retirement age was a throwback to a "different era".

Superintendents were the most "able and experienced" members whose retention in the force for as long as possible could only benefit An Garda Síochána.

"If the general retirement age in the public service is 65, we have to ask why we are being treated differently," he told delegates at the Garda's sports and conference centre in Westmanstown, west Dublin.

"Does it make sense to be effectively turning well-trained and able-bodied people away from the workplace and paying them with a pension to tend their gardens and to improve their golf handicap?"

The retirement age had been set in 1951. Those reaching the age of 60 were now healthier than ever and often had the best attendance records in the force.

Supt Neville said while the process of civilianisation currently under way was to be welcomed, it was imperative that civilian posts were filled with able and experienced candidates. The process should not be implemented for the sake of political expediency.

"If the quality of our work suffers because the civilian candidate is not up to the task of replacing the Garda officer in situ, then we would argue a changeover period is put in place in order to make the transition as smoothly as possible."

The head of the Garda Inspectorate, Kathleen O'Toole, told delegates she believed civilians could help share the unacceptably high workload on those at the rank of superintendent.

Any organisation with more than 15,000 staff and a budget of almost €1.5 billion hired experts in all areas to take on roles to allow others to focus on core tasks.

"This organisation needs to be run more like a business and let the talented police people run the policing. The average superintendent definitely has too much on his plate at this point. The job needs to be better defined."

Another role her agency would be examining and making recommendations on was that of Garda inspector. It was one of the "glaring" areas that needed attention and redefinition.