Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The report also found examples of good practice in policing, particularly as it relates to communities, but it stated that this was not consistent across the board throughout the police force. Why do the witnesses think that was the case? My second question is particularly about the average garda - I would be particularly interested in Mr. Toland's views on this - who, the witnesses stated when compiling the original report, works eight-hour shifts. How many of those hours does the Garda actually work in the community, in Mr. Toland's experience? The reason I direct this question to Mr. Toland is that I visited the London police force a number of years ago as a member of this committee and we met community policemen in inner-city London. Of their eight-hour shift, at least six to seven hours were spent in the community, which I thought was fantastic. That does not appear to be the case in Ireland at the moment.

Has Mr. Toland come across examples of good practice in this issue and how would he see us dealing with this? The regular complaint we get as politicians is that the broader community wants to see the police officer out on the street in the community.