Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Brabazon for raising the issue. I take the essence of his point on local Garda stations having the capacity to respond to calls but this would not be uniform throughout the country. There are times when Garda stations are open and not open, particularly in the middle of the night, and this could create limitations.

As Deputy Brabazon knows, between 2019 and 2020 it was discovered that hundreds of 999 calls were prematurely cancelled or classified as non-criminal by control room operators, sometimes without dispatching officers or accurately logging the incidents. As a consequence of this, the Policing Authority commissioned an independent expert, Derek Penman, to carry out a review. He is a former chief inspector of the constabulary in Scotland. This review found that victims were left unsupported and crimes were not investigated. It made a number of recommendations designed to improve the service members of the public receive when they phone 999 for assistance. At that time, the Garda Commissioner issued an apology and An Garda Síochána accepted the findings of the report.

The 999-112 emergency call service was significantly modernised, reflecting the changes recommended by the independent report. The Policing Authority reviewed the implementation of Mr. Penman's recommendations and it was extremely positive about the changes made. These calls are routed through the regional control centres and prioritised for response. GardaSAFE, the new Garda computer-aided dispatch system, was rolled out incrementally throughout the organisation in 2023.

The other issue, which Deputy Brabazon said, is that what might appear trivial on the surface, such as a noise complaint, a confused caller or a welfare concern, can sometimes mask deeper problems such as a mental health crisis, domestic abuse or situations involving vulnerable people. In some instances, in the aftermath of the 999 call controversy where serious incidents were wrongly dismissed, erring on the side of caution has helped to rebuild public trust to ensure no legitimate cry for help is ignored. That said, I will reflect on what Deputy Brabazon said and I will speak to the Minister for Justice in respect of whether back-up can be provided via local Garda stations.

Concerns have been raised by members of An Garda Síochána and the GRA as gardaí can be frustrated in terms of particular calls that may fall well below the threshold of a criminal complaint. This can strain resources and lead to a use of resources that is not the best. There is legislation and it is an offence to waste Garda time.

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