Seán Ardagh (Dublin South Central, Fianna Fail)

I am delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to this important debate. Earlier, I was caught in gridlock in Bray and I was wondering if the Dáil was gridlocked on something other than police discipline and management. I was delighted, however, to hear there will be a large investment in public transport and that we will get a good payback in seven to ten years. It is a long-term process.

I listened to the Tánaiste, in his capacity as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, speak about the desirability of a policing and security committee separate from the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights. As he said this, I looked at the pile of reports on my desk that included two years of accounts and reports from the Garda, two strategy statements from the force, a report on the Garda ombudsman commission and a report on the Garda Inspectorate. Over the past year, as Chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Rights, I have been saying to myself that I was neglecting my duty by not bringing these reports to the committee for discussion to hear the advice of the likes of Deputy Jim O'Keeffe. We would also like to hear from the Commissioner and other senior gardaí about what is happening. Time constraints, however, mean we have been unable to do the job we should be doing. The Tánaiste stated that the Dáil is the police authority of this State. We must find a way to do the job a policing authority should do by bringing the Garda in to account for future strategy, past actions and present structures. That way we can ensure we are happy with the force. The establishment of a separate policing and security committee would be a good idea and I would like to see it established sooner rather than later.

Much of the thinking on accountability and a police authority comes from Northern Ireland, which has a different system to ours. The Garda is universally accepted and looks after not just policing matters but the security of the State. There are many areas where State security cannot be compromised by an open approach and these areas must remain confidential. Having gone through a number of the reports of Mr. Justice Barron, however, I believe the crime and security branch has a legacy of secrecy and information does not come out of it. There is probably a need to examine that section of the Garda Síochána to bring it into line with best practice.

Policing should be based on the consent of the public to being policed by their peers. People who live in our communities go into Templemore to accept the onerous task of being a garda knowing that they enjoy the backing of the community to perform their duties and uphold the law. That is important. Different communities, however, give differing amounts of consent. In communities affected by poverty, deprivation and crime, there is less respect for gardaí. The easiest way to address that is by getting rid of the crime and improving the standards of living of those in such areas. In my constituency, however, there are young people who feel they are being harassed by the gardaí. The new management system and changes in disciplinary procedures will improve this situation and the co-operation between these young people and the police will get better and things will change.

I always think of a Garda station as being like a school, where the principal of the school sets the ethos. The other teachers take their lead from the principal and the pupils behave in a disciplined and respectful way if the proper ethos exists. The same applies to Garda stations. There are a number of Garda stations in my area: Terenure, Crumlin, Sundrive Road, Kilmainham, Kevin Street and Ballyfermot. I am aware of some disquieting stories about some Garda stations where a young fellow up from Templemore is met by the old hands who tell him to forget everything he has learned in Templemore. I had hoped this culture was a thing of the past but it will take time to have the management and people in place who can bring modern human resource methods to the management of personnel.

Like any employees, gardaí must be managed, controlled and motivated. They must be encouraged and thanked for doing a good job. They must have the respect of the people they serve and those who are above them. There is a need from a micro-management point of view for each Garda station to be a good example of a great Garda station and one which would earn four stars in comparison to some other station.

I congratulate the Minister for introducing the Garda Reserve in a way that has gained the confidence of all gardaí. Some questions are still outstanding but I am confident they are small questions compared to those posed when the Garda Reserve was first mooted. I hope the Garda Representative Association will come on board with respect to the Garda Reserve. Those who have applied and have been successfully inducted into the reserve are our own people from the communities they serve. They are not weirdos or Hitlerites but just ordinary people who want to contribute to the public good and who want to serve the people in a meaningful way which will improve life for all. I refer to the communities of the elderly in my constituency and in all other constituencies, rural and urban. People want to see gardaí on the roads. The Garda Reserve is as strong a force as any other part of the Garda Síochána for providing security to those people. The Minister has grabbed this issue by the scruff of the neck and it is operating very well. It will help improve the overall management of individual Garda units.

The reports of the Morris tribunal make for awful reading. The Barr report highlighted weaknesses in Garda management and George Birmingham investigated the Dean Lyons case. The publication of these reports does not enhance the Garda Síochána except that it will allow for the acknowledgement that improvements are needed and can be made. Many of these improvements have already been set in train by the Minister, particularly the recommendations of Mr. Justice Morris concerning Garda discipline and accountability. The Minister has put in law the need for gardaí to account for their actions.

It is hoped to upgrade the Garda standard to make the force comparable to a similar sized commercial enterprise such as IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland or the Bank of Ireland. Leading edge management techniques must be applied in the Garda Síochána. The civilianisation of the force to include top notch management people who are competent and able and who have at heart the good of the country and a wish to do a good job, is very important. The action being taken by the Tánaiste with regard to management, the inspectorate and the Garda ombudsman commission, will bring about a different Garda force which will be more effective. It will be a force of which we can be even prouder in the future.

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