Mr. Padraic Jones:

The training I mentioned is at the University of Limerick and is open to everyone on a tiered basis. Obviously, they cannot accept everyone so it is an ongoing process. As I said, it started with senior people in the organisation leading out on the training and showing that leadership, but that has cascaded down across the organisation. We are at 3,000 personnel at the moment and it continues to flow.

Leading on from the Deputy’s question, there is a high volume of other training that we engage in as well. With regard to people with disabilities who find themselves as suspects in regard to crime, we have specific training on how to interview those individuals. There is a Garda Síochána interviewing model that was developed externally with input from the DPP and the Judiciary. That is really the bible in terms of what is best practice when interviewing people who may or may not have a disability. All of the personnel currently coming out of the Garda College are trained to the level 1 and 2 standards, which creates an awareness of disability. There are then level 3 and level 4 interviewers, who are obviously much more advanced. They are actually interview advisers and they are much more attuned to identifying issues. Not all disabilities are visible and we appreciate that. It sometimes takes an investigation to understand that somebody may have a disability, particularly psychologically.

We try to identify that and we have the appropriate supports at interview level to make sure it is identified but also, if it is identified and we do not have the capacity, that we understand how to best deal with somebody. A case in point is a young person who is autistic and who comes into custody as a suspect. Our level 4 interview has a very strong relationship with the Central Mental Hospital so we can engage with it at a professional level to get guidance, advice and a proper steer as to what is actually the best way to approach an interview with somebody with a particular disability.