Mr. Padraic Jones:

I will lead on the first question. The Senator referred to his son receiving his authorisation to vote outside the Garda station. This should not be unique; it is just what we should do in our work. We have an estate similar to that of the Courts Service in certain respects. It is quite old and, in fact, some of the buildings are Victorian, so we have to adapt our service. We have tried to modernise in a different way. We spent quite an amount of money recently purchasing Garda clinics. These involve vans that are repurposed and kitted out to be Garda clinics. They allow us to go across the country and are allocated on a regional basis. There are ten of them, three being in the Dublin area. For all intents and purposes, these are the closest we can get to a mobile Garda station. They are electronically fitted out and have an area in which one can step in to make a statement, if one so wishes, or even just speak to a member of An Garda Síochána.

On the second point, gardaí get much more abuse now than they did historically. That may be a testament to what people think of authority. I am referring not only to gardaí but also to authoritative figures across society. Thoughts about such people have changed considerably since the 1980s, but there is still an expectation that, no matter what we have been at prior to an engagement, we will act professionally and, as I stated in my opening remarks, act with empathy and treat people like we would like to be treated ourselves. That is the standard we set for ourselves and that I would like to think we achieve. If we do not, I would certainly like to hear about it as a manager so we can correct our behaviour and ensure people have a positive engagement with us. Obviously, there will be times when it will not be positive, for particular reasons, but in the main it should be.

On the support of our members, the organisation has carried out some transformational work in recent times. We always have tried to have a supportive environment for our employees and colleagues. That starts on a peer-to-peer basis. We have a large number of trained peer supporters across the organisation. If somebody is having a challenging day or finding something difficult, there is a network of peer supporters, advised by every division or district, to whom members can speak. They do get training and realise the need to speak in confidence. They will not breach that confidence. To take things forward in more recent times, we have had the Garda employee assistance service. Employee assistance officers are allocated to every region across the country, and their sole job is to provide employee assistance. They are headed up by a superintendent. The Commissioner regards this issue as so important that he has put a superintendent in place on a permanent basis to ensure that well-being and employee welfare supports are in place.

The population is becoming more technologically astute and that is reflected in the Garda. We have created an app, KOPS, Keeping Our People Supported. That gives welfare supports and other guidance, even regarding some practical measures such as how to deal with shiftwork or train yourself to eat well rather than poorly on a night shift, perhaps. In addition, we have procured a counselling service, entailing professional counsellors outside An Garda, with a freephone number. If a member is experiencing a stressful reaction, he or she can use this service. It does not necessarily have to be work related. It could be about something at home that was triggered at work, or vice versa. Six free counselling sessions are made available to our members. The counsellors are independent and we do not get told about the counselling. We just get some sort of code number from the counselling company indicating somebody has availed of a certain number of sessions and that payment can take place.

There is support from the employee assistance service but also from our occupational health service. Our occupational health service carries out a significant amount of work to ensure people are physically well and fit. Before they undergo courses, they are sent for a medical check. Depending on the course the member is to undergo, there are certain requirements. For argument’s sake, if it is a firearms course, hearing will be checked to ensure nobody needs protection additional to what is already to be provided. That is just an example of some of the work that goes on.

There is support for members who get injured. Whether it is a psychological or physical injury, the member engages directly with our chief medical officer. The member’s own GP delivers the prognosis but our chief medical officer engages with the member to plan a return to work, if that is what is feasible. It is ensured that reasonable accommodations are made for individuals before they go back to work so that when they do go back there will be continuing supports in place.