Mr. Mark Toland:

The question of rosters is really interesting. The roster in use is one that is primarily used by units that deal with 999 calls in many other jurisdictions - those that need to turn up quickly to a call or deal with a non-emergency call from the public. Such a roster is used by most police services we have examined. Most of them operate a five-unit model but they do not put other units onto that same system. It is designed for use 24-7, 365 days a year, not for units that contain investigation sections or people in office roles. The Garda Síochána has far too many gardaí put onto this roster who should not be on the roster in the first place, and there are gardaí now working until 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. who are in office-based roles, which is not a good use of resources. We are recommending a roster for those who deal with 999 calls, but it does not allow them to investigate crimes and carry out other functions because the roster has no time built in to allow those on that roster to go and investigate crimes and deal with victims.