Ms Christina Sherlock:

I thank the Senator for the question. It brings me back to a conversation I had with somebody who said she was lucky she got the garda she did because she got so much support from that person and the best response, which supported her in her journey through the legal system to eventually becoming safe and free from her abuser. It should not come down to somebody being lucky to get a garda who understands or gets it. We certainly see a need for comprehensive training for all members of An Garda Síochána. At best, the system is ad hoc. The pandemic has interrupted some of the training that may have been planned. There is an urgent need to start the training again and fully resource it. It should reach all members of An Garda Síochána so everybody who rings the organisation will get the same response and receive the understanding and support they need.

There are issues with the Garda. According to our national helpline figures for last year, two thirds of callers mentioned that they found the response of the Garda helpful, but one third said it was unhelpful. An unhelpful response can be such a block to moving forward and becoming safe. Everybody should feel that when he or she rings the Garda, the call will be answered and acted upon. There have been stories recently of 999 calls not being responded to and logged properly as domestic violence calls. There is a lot of work to be done in this regard still.

There was an enhanced response during the Covid-19 pandemic, which was heartening to front-line service providers. We really felt the Garda, which is the first line of response in many cases, was there beside us responding. This level of understanding and the treatment of the issue with such seriousness should feature as a matter of course. We do not want to go back to the way it was.