Mr. Drew Harris:

I thank the Chairman and committee members for the invitation to meet them today.

An Garda Síochána’s mission for the next three years is outlined in our strategy statement, Keeping People Safe, which was published earlier this year. This is the guiding principle on which we base strategic and operational decisions. As guardians of the peace, keeping people safe and safeguarding human rights are central to what we do. Progress on our strategy statement is measured against the delivery of our annual policing plan. So far this year, we have met the majority of our policing plan targets. Many of these have had a direct impact on the community, such as the introduction of local protective service units to investigate crimes against the vulnerable, the continuing redeployment of Garda members from administrative roles to front-line duties, and an increase in roads policing detection of lifesaver offences. In addition, we have introduced a number of strategies in areas such as a human resources and ICT that will deliver better support for our people resulting in improved service provision.

A key central element of our strategy statement is a new operating model for An Garda Síochána. The operating model will introduce major changes to our structures and, more importantly for the public, it will provide more front-line gardaí, increased Garda visibility and a wider range of policing services in their local area. Ireland is changing and with this crime is changing. However, the reality is that despite the very great efforts of all of my staff our own burdensome structures are holding them back from providing the best possible policing service. This is supported by the Garda Inspectorate, which stated in its 2015 Changing Policing in Ireland report that fundamental structural change will enable the Garda Síochána to respond with increased visibility and effectiveness to the needs of society today and in the future. In addition, the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland stated divisions should be large enough to be self-sufficient for all routine administrative and operational purposes. The Policing Authority has welcomed the new model, stating that when implemented, it should result in an increase in Garda resources and greater autonomy at divisional level, which will make it possible to better respond to the specific needs of the local community.

The new operating model will see larger divisions with more resources available to the chief superintendents leading them. A key focus of these divisions will be on community policing, with between 50% and 60% of all resources in each division devoted to this area. As we have done in the four divisions where we piloted this model, community policing teams will be introduced that are dedicated to working with communities and other stakeholders to identify and tackle problem crimes in their area.

This should result in different agencies and non-governmental organisations, NGOs, working with us to break cycles of anti-social behaviour, drug dealing, and violence that can blight communities and the lives of individuals. I believe this approach meets key recommendations from this committee's report on community policing and rural crime from earlier this year. It will mean a local policing service based on local needs. The public wants to see more gardaí visible on the streets and so do I. Our new operating model will help achieve this.

The model, along with long-needed investment in information and communications technology, ICT, such as our mobility app, will reduce the amount of time gardaí have to spend in stations, time that they will spend out on the ground, on patrol instead. We will receive a net increase of 800 Garda members under our recruitment programme between now and 2021. This, combined with a further 1000 gardaí released to front-line duties, will make a positive impact on the policing service we deliver. Increased visibility in local communities will help provide reassurance that there is a strong policing presence, in line with a key recommendation of this committee.

Chief superintendents and superintendents will be empowered to make decisions on how policing is best delivered within their divisions. This has been something that they have been wanting for quite some time. This has been portrayed in some quarters as creating 19 mini-police services, but this will not be the case, nor is it my intention. Local divisional officers - chief superintendents - will have the ability to make many more decisions of their own on how to police their area, but, in doing so, they will be subject to oversight at a regional and national level, and must operate within our corporate framework. That way we will have consistency of delivery of service across the country, something we are aiming to be sure of in our service delivery.

I also note some of the commentary that Garda members, particularly superintendents will inevitably be pulled into wherever the divisional headquarters are placed. That will not be the case and it is certainly not our intention. While there may be some centralisation, largely of administrative resources, at the divisional headquarters, I am resolute that as many as possible superintendents will be in key locations throughout a division. This has been achieved in the divisions that piloted the model.

In addition, specific administrative support and the introduction of the superintendent for performance assurance will remove a major bureaucratic burden from the community engagement superintendents, which they have sought for a long time. As a result, the superintendents for community engagement will be freed up to get out from behind their desks and interact with their communities. Communities have seen an increase in sergeants and inspectors and this will continue. This will not only be of benefit to communities, but also to gardaí. A key request from our cultural audit was for more supervision. Additional sergeants and inspectors will provide much-needed supervision, mentoring and guidance.

At a time the reporting of sexual and domestic violence is increasing, when many crimes have a digital element, and when financial frauds are increasingly complex, it is not sustainable to rely solely on our national units to investigate all such crimes. Our new operating model will enhance the investigation of crime through the delivery of a greater range of specialised services in local areas such as the investigation of sexual crime, domestic violence, cybercrime, and economic crime. Each division will be provided with a detective superintendent who, along with trained investigators in specialist areas, will be responsible for local crime investigation. Complex or highly technical crimes will generally be dealt with at national level. This widening of specialist services at local level will be supported by the introduction of an investigation management system, which will make it easier for those supervising investigations to oversee their progress but also for us as an organisation to understand the investigative demand that is placed on us as a whole. This will have a number of benefits for victims. In general, it should see their crime investigated more quickly and, particularly in the case of specialist crimes, by investigators well trained in that area. More investigations being conducted locally, coupled with the investigation management system, should also mean information about the progress of the investigation is more readily available.

Our new operating model is in line with best international practice, is based on extensive consultation with our own people, has been recommended by both the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland and the Garda Inspectorate, and is supported by Government and the Policing Authority. It will deliver a community-based, community-focused police service, which was a central recommendation of this committee. An example of this commitment to community-focused policing is the recent permanent reallocation of Garda members to one or two-member stations in areas such as Emly and Toomevara in County Tipperary, and Ballyhale and Stoneyford in County Kilkenny. These stations have not had a Garda member attached to them for a number of years and although not regarded as closed, they were opened only intermittently. This is what we aim to do, increase our commitment to community policing in rural communities. This is in addition to the six Garda stations to be reopened under the programme for Government.

We are also examining other options such as setting-up clinics in vacant stores in certain towns and villages but we are also using the An Post offices to set up in effect clinics where we meet the community. Our strong connection with the communities we serve will not change. It is one of the key reasons why we have a trust level among the public of approximately 90%. The new operating model is being introduced under the Government's 'A Policing Service for the Future' plan. This year, a number of improvements have been introduced as part of that plan, including regional control rooms, the start of the roll-out of the investigation management system, more gardaí redeployed from administrative posts to front-line duties, and a range of measures to enhance our ability to deliver a human rights focused service.

Further benefits are to come before the end of the year include beginning with the roll-out of mobile phones for front-line officers, particularly those working in roads policing; starting the procurement for a new Garda uniform; accelerating our e-learning programmes, and further roll-out of new systems such as the investigation and management system, and the roster and duty management system. I recognise that change is never easy, but our operating model is necessary if An Garda Síochána is to meet the needs of the public for a community-focused police service that focuses its resources and energy on keeping the people of Ireland safe.