Dáil debates

Tuesday, 18 November 2014

Other Questions

Garda Inspectorate Reports

3:35 pm

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Last week, I received the report of the Garda Inspectorate. It is a very detailed report with more than 500 recommendations. It is suggested in the report that these recommendations are short, medium and long-term. Clearly, we need mechanisms to implement that report, and there are a variety of ways in which that report will be implemented. They include, in the first instance, establishing the type of expert group that the Garda Inspectorate said should drive this process, so I intend to establish this expert group very shortly.

Another recommendation that was made related to the statistics that are currently gathered and dealt with in PULSE. There were some concerns about reclassification. I have asked the CSO to carry out a review. It has suggested carrying out a review of the entirety of entries on PULSE - around 1 million - so that it can look not just at a sample, as the Garda Inspectorate did, but at 1 million entries, analyse them and see how much of the reclassification in the report is matched when one examines the overall entries. This will be very important to ensure confidence in the system.

The Cabinet justice sub-committee will also monitor the reforms that are under way, including those recommended in the Garda Inspectorate report. Obviously, the report will play an important role in the ongoing reform we have announced, which includes the establishment of the independent policing authority, strengthening the powers of GSOC and the current recruitment of the Garda Commissioner.

A range of actions need to be undertaken. The gardaí have announced a series of initiatives that are already under way, including a data quality unit. When crime statistics are being reported, the gardaí will provide more specialist staff to work with civilian staff. I believe this would make a difference as well. It is a very wide-ranging report and there are things we can do immediately. The investment in technology will be a very important part of the response as well.

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