Mr. Drew Harris:

I thank members for the invitation to appear before them and address the committee on policing matters.

At a rough calculation, as time will be tight if everybody gets six minutes, I will keep my remarks shorter than the initial presentation submitted.

We are coming to the end of 2023, which is our policing plan year, and our strategy statement is also coming to a close. We continue to implement policing operations and initiatives to prevent and detect crime within local communities while supporting the needs of victims and concentrating on the most vulnerable in our society, in addition to safeguarding the security of the Irish State. We have prioritised the targeting of national and transnational crime groupings that wreak havoc on our communities through the sale and supply of illegal drugs. We have also enhanced our capabilities with national, regional and international partnerships to combat the trade in illegal drugs. In part we have done this through the expansion of our Garda liaison officer network throughout the world, which has reinforced our international partnerships.

To the end of September this year, we have seen an estimated 60,000 individuals arrested by An Garda Síochána. To date there has been a total of 248,000 charges and summonses created and issued for the prosecution of offences. We have seized cash in excess of €10 million, which we suspect to be the proceeds of crime. We have also seized illegal drugs, controlled drugs and drug paraphernalia to the value of €271 million during the course of complex policing operations at all levels - locally, nationally and internationally. We have seized a total of 1,575 firearms and 1,783 knives or sharp implements. These are some of the headline figures showing what members of An Garda Síochána are doing to fulfil their commitment to keep the people of Ireland safe.

We have demonstrated in recent years our determination and commitment to public safety. We pride ourselves on being a community-focused, victim-focused, human rights policing organisation. We have met the significant demands of policing in the post-Covid-19 era. We will finish our policing plan for 2024 in the coming weeks. We will continue to emphasise cyber-enabled and economic crime, the harm posed to vulnerable persons, in particular victims of domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and those experiencing or subject to hate crime. We will emphasise public safety on our streets by combatting antisocial behaviour and renewing our commitment to combating public disorder by adopting a zero tolerance approach through investigations into assaults in public. We are also conscious of the road fatalities and serious collisions that have happened, and the terrible increase in fatalities and serious injuries on our roads this year in comparison with recent years.

My colleague, Assistant Commissioner Willis, will be able to cover in great detail the specific point concerning Dublin city centre. However, Operation Citizen is uniform led, high visibility, street level and community focused.

We are working in partnership with many of the other key stakeholders in the city centre in order to address public disorder, antisocial behaviour, assaults in public places, street-level drug supply and use, criminal damage, the abuse of alcohol and other matters of public safety.

In respect of recruitment and retention, An Garda Síochána is all about people. They are our greatest asset. To some extent, we are subject also to very significant external labour market forces at play in respect of recruitment and retention. I am confident that we will be able to continue to attract really good candidates of sufficient calibre driven by a sense of community spirit and public service ethos to fill the crucial roles within An Garda Síochána, both as sworn members but also as Garda staff. We very much welcome the commitment in budget 2024 to financially support An Garda Síochána in terms of recruitment throughout 2024.

The recent announcement by the Minister in respect of the age limits to join An Garda Síochána also enables us to access an additional pool of employee talent. We look forward to doing so but it will require further adjustment to the recruitment regulations to allow that to happen.

We launched a dedicated recruitment campaign for vacancies at clerical officer grade within An Garda Síochána, which has attracted 7,400 applicants to fill approximately 400 vacancies in operational and support roles right across the country.

I am also very conscious of the demands made of Garda members and Garda staff. I am fully aware of the personal safety risks, stresses and pressures upon Garda members. We continue to support the careers of our personnel through continuous training, development and in the provision of welfare and well-being supports. Unfortunately, the harsh reality is that it poses a very significant challenge for An Garda Síochána to develop a safe psychological environment for our personnel due to the unpredictability and volatile nature of policing. It is of massive concern to us all that this year in excess of 646 members of An Garda Síochána were subject to violence and assault or obstruction while performing their duties in serving the community. It is a priority for me and all my senior leaders to ensure our personnel are supported and assisted when faced with assault, abuse, trauma, crisis, or mental health challenges. There has been a huge expansion of the services that we provide through the Garda employee assistance service and the provision of an externally based counselling service, which allows access to professional counselling support in a time-sensitive manner. An app has been developed and is accessible through a mobility device on a 24-7 basis. We launched An Garda Síochána's health and well-being strategy, which is supported by a national health and well-being office. In addition, we have introduced well-being workshops. We are the first major organisation to have a dedicated mental health first aid training deployed in the organisation. We are going through a process of training the trainers. We have also developed and launched menopause guidance policy for those who experience menopausal symptoms. In addition to those measures, the training and deployment of peer supporters by the Garda employee assistance service continues at pace. I am committed to ensuring that An Garda Síochána continues to prioritise the care and support afforded to our people in what is a very challenging profession.

In respect of rosters, which is one of the fundamental aspects of supporting personnel within a policing organisation both from a health and safety and well-being perspective but also in terms of the service that we provide to the public, I am pleased to say that negotiations are ongoing in respect to the reform of rosters. What we want to do is find a roster that meets the demands of policing and at the same time meets our requirements in terms of having a predictable roster that is compliant with health and safety and our responsibilities in regard to the European working time directive.

We continue to implement the Garda operating model across operational divisions. We want this model to deliver streamlined, efficient structures, embedding governance and performance functions and autonomy at divisional level with a focus on a community led-service at divisional level, which the rest of the organisation supports. It is developed into four functional areas within each division. That aims to release gardaí from non-core duties to operational duties while streamlining our administrative processes.

To date, eight operational divisions have transitioned into the Garda operating model, with more to follow this year as well. I am confident the full implementation of the operating model in 2024 within An Garda Síochána will enhance and strengthen the nature and quality of the Garda service provided to local communities by enabling specialisation within Garda divisions in the area of local crime, serious and organised criminality and community-focused policing. I thank members very much. I and my team are very happy to take questions.