Mr. Drew Harris:

There is no conflict between the Garda and GSOC. I provided a presentation to the Policing Authority today on the anti-corruption unit and I am very happy to provide a presentation on it to the committee as well. The purpose of the ant-corruption unit is directed at corruption in its widest sense. It is not just directed on the discovery of criminal behaviour. It is also directed on general behaviour and a sense of fairness and impartiality in members and staff going about their duties. I would say, as Commissioner, that I have a responsibility to make sure that the service we provide is one which the people can trust. They must know that the members and staff of An Garda Síochána are individuals of integrity and honesty in their behaviour. That is not a function of GSOC. It is a function of leadership on my part and on the part of everybody of supervisory responsibility in the organisation. We must set the standards required.

Deterrence and prevention are better than detection. There are particular areas on which we can provide advice, and anti-corruption would do that. That would be in the areas of conflicts of interest, inappropriate relationships, sharing of data, excessive hospitality, and the receipt of perks.

These are all areas for which we can write policy and be in a position to provide guidance to the organisation.

With cause drug testing takes place if there is information that suggests drug testing should take place. Random drug testing is done in those areas of the organisation that are high risk, such as driving high performance vehicles or carrying a firearm in the course of duties. These are areas where drug testing is good practice.

There are other issues, such as one place receiving all intelligence or information that might suggest wrongdoing by a member of staff or members of An Garda Síochána and having a single point of contact to deal with GSOC. There are also the learnings from complaints and a complaints reduction strategy. There is also the sharing of information with GSOC to ensure we pick up on all behaviour that falls beneath the high standards we accept.

This is far more about us as an organisation being proactive, in that we have set high standards, we will make sure they are communicated and understood, and then we will enforce them, as opposed to being in competition with GSOC or cutting across its responsibilities in any way. I do not see this. I see it as complementary. I also think it would be very unwise for me not to do something like this. The health of the organisation in terms of its honesty and integrity lies within my responsibility and I should be doing something about it.