Ms Helen Hall:

It is something the authority has been in favour of since the beginning. Those who are at the disposal or in the service of the people should be a coherent workforce. It should not matter whether somebody is a sworn Garda member in uniform or a Garda staff member doing analysis, photographing a crime scene or doing tests on things. There has been a huge shift in the Garda in the six years we have been overseeing it and we have encouraged that. It is moving towards the professionalisation of certain areas that could be covered by non-sworn members and it is prioritising that and giving funding and positions to it. There are a now a little over 4,000 Garda staff members. We have several very senior people enrolled in areas like finance, HR, ICT, which were previously garda roles. That is a positive thing, A cultural shift is beginning to happen within the organisation to accept those people as peers. However, it is only beginning; it will take time.

Going back to the operational model, the chief superintendent having a senior person at his or her disposal who will look after all the business services is crucial. They can work together with a superintendent who is involved with all the serious crime across the division, not just silos in each district. It is about having somebody who is looking at the performance and accountability and somebody who is really focused on community policing. That is potentially a game changer and should be encouraged. It is a change. The idea that Garda staff members are not just typing up the notes and making the tea but are sitting peer to peer is a huge cultural change. I know the Commissioner feels this as well. There are policing roles that can be undertaken by Garda staff. Do not tell me a 25-year-old cybercrime expert is not just as much a part of that policing investigation team. The Garda members value that now. It is about that mingling. We have a role in that workforce mix, in encouraging diversity and having the right people in the right places.

The one thing the public, and the committee as Oireachtas Members, can do is not to automatically say they want more gardaí in the street. A lot of crime now comes into private spaces. It comes in behind closed doors in the form of violence, child sexual abuse happening online or elder abuse happening online. Having a garda walking down the street may not solve that. It may be somebody sitting behind a computer with the right skills. As a public we need to be careful and acknowledge that. The committee should not get me wrong; there is an element of visibility making people feel safer. That is also important but that is not the only thing and it is not always about more boots on the street. It might actually be better to invest in the ICT that could save time so that when those boots are on the street, they are much more effective.

The Garda has made considerable progress with the mobility devices it has put into the hands of members but it is not just a question of handing someone a phone. It is a question of the ICT and the stuff behind that, which costs money. Our latest resource advice to the Minister related to this issue. We sent a second letter in 2021, so seized was the authority of the matter of investment in ICT. It is critical. It needs to be ring-fenced, invested in and prioritised above all else. I have no doubt it is a hard political decision to say we will not bring in 800 gardaí this year but will bring in 600 and use the extra 200 worth of money to do something else. These are hard decisions that will need to be made. That non-visible policing has to happen if we are going to keep pace with the crime that is actually happening behind closed doors.