Mr. Mark Toland:

The computer-aided dispatch system has been rolled out to some divisions outside Dublin, including Galway, Waterford and Cork. The majority of other divisions do not have it. While it does not have to be the most expensive system, it needs funding. Around the time of our report, the Government had made €200 million available and this is one of the projects that is being progressed. In the interim, we have suggested that a cheap electronic database or recording system be introduced rather than waiting for the new system to be introduced in two years' time, or however long it takes. As an inspectorate, we go out and ask questions which result in paper searches. There is an absence of important management data that could tell management how busy they are, the types of calls coming in, the results of the calls and allow them to audit what the officers are doing in the hours available. This is a significant gap.

We have sometimes found, even within the same Garda division, that a district was doing something that the district next door was not doing. Even within one division, good practices was not always shared. The victims offices are an example of where we found good practice in Waterford and some of the Dublin divisions where a victims office was in operation. The Commissioner has rolled them out across the 28 divisions. A victim of crime can now contact a single office, instead of trying to get hold of an individual garda who dealt with the crime he or she experienced. This is very positive. There is a Garda professional standards unit that does a similar function to us internally. They often go to conferences where there are senior officers, who will deliver their findings and try to share good practice. There is also a Garda portal within their organisation so they can post good practice and initiatives they are running. They need champions in the organisation to ensure that where they identify something that is good practice, works and makes a difference, it is rolled out across all the divisions.