Mr. Drew Harris:

I thank the Chair and committee members for their invitation to meet and to address them this afternoon. While I was not aware that we are the first but I am pleased that we are. I note the committee’s interest in discussing recruitment and retention, the operating model, community policing and roads policing. I will give a brief update on these important issues and I look forward to answering questions thereafter.

As of 3 April, An Garda Síochána’s overall strength stood at 18,194. This figure includes 14,221 sworn gardaí, 304 members of the Garda Reserve and 3,669 Garda staff. Overall Garda numbers have increased by approximately 200 in the past year. The rate of resignations has slowed and the level of retirements has been at the expected rate. A small but encouraging number of gardaí who had resigned have since rejoined.

Efforts to address recruitment and retention within An Garda Síochána are ongoing. I believe those efforts are beginning to bear fruit. We continue to work with the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and with his Department’s training and capacity group to attract personnel into this fantastic organisation. Since we last met, there have been a number of positive developments. Following a proposal from me, the retirement age for gardaí has increased from 60 to 62. This has helped to retain a number of highly experienced gardaí. Meanwhile, the Government has increased the age limit for new recruits to 50. The Garda trainee allowance has increased to €354 per week. In our last recruitment campaign, 41% of applicants were over the age of 30. In addition, our recent trainee recruitment competition from earlier this year shows the attractiveness of a career in An Garda Síochána, with more than 6,700 applications received. A new recruitment campaign will launch in the autumn, which should provide a strong pipeline of potential recruits into 2026.

Last Friday, a further cohort of 120 gardaí passed out of the Garda College. Another intake, totalling 172, commenced yesterday, 20 of whom are from the 2025 campaign, which only closed in the middle of February. Currently, there are 477 trainees in the Garda College, with further intakes due in August and November of this year. We are committed to meeting the Government target of recruiting 5,000 gardaí over the next five years. We are working out a plan to do that, which also includes accommodation.

There has been much comment on the level of resignations. While we do not want to lose any garda, last year, a total of 140 gardaí out of 14,000 resigned, which is only just 1% of sworn gardaí. That figure is down by 29 compared with the previous year. An indicator of how people want to build a strong and lasting career in An Garda Síochána is the strong interest we have in promotion competitions at all Garda ranks. We are making progress, although we recognise there is more to do. We have repeatedly said that we need more sworn gardaí. We are working towards that.

In respect of the operating model, our structures and organisation had remained virtually unchanged since the formation of An Garda Síochána in 1922. This was not sustainable at a time of rapid, constant change for the country and for policing.

The operating model is based on best international practice, recommendations from the Commission on the Future of Policing, which carried out a huge consultation exercise within An Garda Síochána and further afield, the Garda Inspectorate, and our own modernisation and renewal programme. Its implementation was overseen by the Department of the Taoiseach as part of the Government's A Policing Service for Our Future programme. It is the biggest organisational change we have seen.

Everything done under the operating model has been done to enhance the service we provide to the public, and particularly to the most vulnerable in society. A good example is the investment we have made in our divisional protective service units. There are now units in every division. More than 300 specialist gardaí are assigned to divisional protective service units and these provide a professional and experienced service to vulnerable victims. These changes have delivered tangible results for domestic abuse victims. For example, in the past two years we have seen 67 prosecutions for non-fatal strangulation, 52 prosecutions for coercive control and, under relatively new legislation, 12 prosecutions for stalking have also been initiated. This great work has made a difference to victims and is a real, positive policing outcome of the operating model.

Under the old structure, the superintendent in the area would be responsible for crime investigation, engaging with local representatives and dealing with administrative, HR and financial matters. Under the operating model, superintendents are now dedicated to police work, be this community engagement, performance and accountability or crime. A detective superintendent oversees crime investigation in each of our 21 divisions on a national basis, while assistant principals were appointed in each division to oversee HR, finance, and administration. This has lifted significant burdens from superintendents to allow them, as I said, to focus on police work. In addition, the operating model has seen an increase in the number of sergeants and inspectors. This flows from our 2017 cultural audit that asked for more front-line supervisors and increases the quality of the policing service we deliver locally. The roll-out of the model was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic but it has been successfully implemented in all 21 Garda divisions.

In respect of community policing, our ethos is one of being an unarmed, community-focused policing service and we have served the people of the country well for over 103 years with this ethos. We have high levels of satisfaction with the service we provide, sitting at 73%, with 75% of people saying we are community-focused and a trust rating of 89%. These are some of the highest figures among any of our European sister services. Also in the area of community policing, a new policy is being developed called community policing principles. This will standardise our response to community policing. These principles consist of community engagement; community partnerships; problem solving; crime prevention; law enforcement; and accountability. They are being adapted to meet the requirements of the new Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024. An Garda Síochána remains committed to its model of community policing and along with a wide range of partners has established many initiatives. These include: neighbourhood watch and community alert schemes; campus watch; the Garda schools programme; the Garda youth awards; and the Garda late night leagues. These provide important touch points between gardaí and local communities. I also wish to stress how well gardaí are known in their local areas, how active they are in their communities across Ireland and what a treasure this is for us as an organisation in terms of building trust.

As touched upon already, we note the recent death of our colleague, Garda Kevin Flatley, on 14 May. This serves as a very stark reminder of the risks our gardaí face while on duty, but also puts into sharp focus the dangers that exist on our roads today. In the past 12 months, a range of measures has been introduced by An Garda Síochána to enhance road safety and reduce road deaths and serious injuries. These include the 30 minutes of roads safety activity initiative, the introduction of safety cameras, the use of unmarked vehicles, including trucks and motorbikes, and access to the driver insurance database on a mobility device that every garda on patrol has.

We continue our enforcement of key life saver offences such as speeding, drink and drug-driving, not using a seat belt and mobile phone use. Detections in all these areas are up. Despite significant roads policing enforcement, as of yesterday there have been 72 road fatalities this year. While this is six fewer than in the same period last year, this reduction is no consolation for the bereaved families concerned.

There was a reduction in road deaths in 2024 compared with 2023, but every road death is one too many. I reiterate the importance of responsible driver behaviour. I again appeal to all road users in the interests of their safety and of those around them to slow down, to wear a safety belt, not to drive under the influence of an intoxicant and not to use their mobile phone while driving.

Finally, recent crime figures for the first quarter of 2025 show a year-on-year reduction in many of the key crimes such as burglary, robbery, crimes against the person and theft. We recognise, however, that we always have more to do, we are engaged in a process of constant improvement and we must meet the evolving demands of this society that we police. Thanks to the great work of gardaí across the country every day, however, Ireland is by any international measure a safe place. I thank the committee very much and I am very content to take questions.