Mr. Robert K. Olson:

I thank the Chairman.

This organisational review of An Garda Síochána covers its structure, staffing and deployment of resources. The report is primarily about putting gardaí on the front line and providing sufficient numbers of people, strong leadership, supervision, appropriate equipment, good training and the modern technology needed to deliver a better service to all communities in Ireland. During the review the inspectorate met more than 2,500 employees of An Garda Síochána and other stakeholders.

I will turn to the report's key findings. We found an ineffective structure that was struggling to cope with the modern demands on Garda services. Many headquarters units have duplicate functions in matters such as change management, policy development and oversight. To protect front-line services, all other police services from around the globe with which we engaged in the review have restructured, reduced the number of administrative areas and now operate from far leaner structures, with fewer senior managers. We found that national and specialist Garda units were very much Dublin based and Dublin focused. The current structure which encompasses six regions, 28 divisions and 96 districts is highly inefficient and impacts negatively on the deployment of resources. Centralised decision-making takes place even on lower level issues that could be handled at sergeant or inspector level.

On the deployment of resources, people are not always on duty at the right times, in the right places and doing the right things. The Garda roster introduced in 2012 has reduced the number of working days per member each year, the number of working hours per member each year and the number of members available for duty on any given day. In total, approximately 83% of Garda resources are deployed to front-line services compared with approximately 93% in the other services we examined. As far as we could see, gardaí were not allocated according to policing needs. An analysis of deployment data on a Tuesday morning and a Saturday night identified that there were 48 fewer people on duty on the Saturday night than on the Tuesday morning. With an additional shift on the Saturday night to overlap, the inspectorate expected to see far more gardaí on duty on the streets.

There is a two-tier community policing system within the organisation, with high numbers of gardaí in the Dublin area but significantly fewer in other areas, particularly in rural Ireland. At public meetings attended by the inspectorate and at which we conducted surveys of those present, community members reported noticing a reduction in Garda visibility in their communities.

The report touches on workforce modernisation and human resources. An Garda Síochána performs some functions that may be more appropriate to other agencies such as prosecuting District Court cases and the transportation of prisoners on remand. In our estimate, at least 1,500 gardaí are in non-operational roles that could be released for patrol, investigation and community policing duties. At 14% of the total workforce, there is a low level of civilian staff in An Garda Síochána compared to other police services.

Most important, there is no individual performance management system for members.

As for governance and culture, we found deficiencies in governance, accountability, leadership and what we call "intrusive" supervision. The current Garda culture is inhibiting change. While staff identified positives such as a "can do" culture and a sense of duty, many described the organisation as insular, defensive, with a blame culture where many leaders were reluctant to make decisions. We identified some high-risk policing areas such as untrained garda drivers that needed to be addressed. Many previous recommendations made in inspectorate reports and other Government-sponsored inquiries have not been fully implemented and their benefits have not been realised. These findings are inhibiting the Garda from performing to its full potential.

There are 81 recommendations made in this report. of which 75% can be achieved, the inspectorate believes, at low or at cost. Some of the key recommendations are a new leaner structure with fewer senior managers and more gardaí on patrol, investigation and community policing duties; a reduction in the number of Garda regions from six to three, eliminating huge swathes of administration; development of multiple rosters tailored for specific Garda units to match the deployment of these resources to the days and times when they are most needed; the release of over 1,500 fully trained and experienced gardaí from non-operational roles; the use of gardaí to perform Garda roles and civilian staff to perform office and support roles; some national unit resources such as major investigation teams should be assigned to regions to provide a full national service as opposed to the Dublin-based service; the introduction of a new divisional policing model that breaks down non-physical barriers to efficient deployment; a reduction in the number of divisions to release even more gardaí for patrol duties; the divestiture or outsourcing of functions that could be performed by other agencies; development of clear governance structures to ensure accountability and drive performance; creation of an environment where senior managers and other staff are encouraged to speak up and make suggestions to improve performance; the development of a strategy to improve the decision-making skills of leaders and supervisors and to ensure that they are well-trained and have the confidence to inspire staff, tackle underperformance and reward good work; and the introduction of a performance management system to encourage good performance and for continued underperformance to provide an ultimate sanction of dismissal.

The key outcomes from these recommendations will be an increased physical Garda presence to prevent crime and reassure and protect communities in rural areas, towns and cities; the creation of a new organisational structure that supports local policing; the development of a modern workforce with the right balance of members and support staff; and an improved Garda Síochána, better for the public, victims of crime and members of the force themselves. The Commissioner now has her top team in place; new gardaí have joined and the Government has provided significant funding for crucial technology, new vehicles, new stations and refurbishments. We see this as an opportunity for An Garda Síochána to restructure and modernise. The report has also been sent to the Policing Authority, the functions of which include the monitoring of implementation of reports of the inspectorate.

The inspectorate believes that if all of the recommendations made in the report are accepted, implemented and properly sequenced, this pathway for change will lead to a visible, accessible and responsive police service for all the people of Ireland. We will gladly answer questions the committee may have.