Dáil debates
Thursday, 28 September 2023
Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate
An Garda Síochána
3:50 pm
Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, for taking this Topical Issue. Obviously, I would much prefer if the Minister for Justice was taking it but she has cover as I have seen her interviewed in Brussels. I spoke to her previously about the new operating model where the Louth Garda division will be combined with the Cavan-Monaghan division in December. It will be one of the few three-county models that will be in operation. This throws up significant issues.
Ardee, Dundalk and Drogheda joint policing committees met and there were discussions and no element of happiness. Alongside issues with the Garda roster, which I will deal with later, there was a determination that they would write to the Commissioner and the Minister to ask that this be stalled, reviewed and overturned. Deputy Munster and I wrote to the Commissioner about this. I will quote the reply I received:
Following a recent comprehensive review conducted by An Garda Síochána into the composition of Divisions with three counties under the Operating Model structure the Garda Senior Leadership Team has made the decision that Louth and Cavan/Monaghan will be amalgamated into one Division. The operating model is already implemented in seven divisions: Limerick, Kerry, Cork city, Galway, DMR South Central, Mayo-Roscommon-Longford and Clare-Tipperary.
Mayo-Roscommon-Longford is the only three-county model. There were plans to amalgamate Donegal and Sligo-Leitrim but that was reviewed and overturned and, therefore, it is on that basis that it makes sense to reconsider. I call on the Minister to engage with the Commissioner and his team to review this.
I do not have to tell anybody about the particular issues An Garda Síochána faces and the very important work it does. In my home town of Dundalk, three gardaí were injured, one of them more seriously than the others, and I wish them well. They were rammed by a stolen car close to Pearse Park. That is the reality of what they must deal with and the work they must do when they leave their homes in the morning.
We all saw the important work An Garda Síochána was involved in as part of that task force that led to the seizure of €157 million worth of cocaine. I commend An Garda Síochána, the task force, the Navy and the Army rangers and call for more of those operations as quickly as possible because the only way that cartels and all those involved in heinous drug crime will learn from this is when it hurts them in their pockets.
There were significant issues in Drogheda. No Deputy is unaware of the feud there and the significant operation it took through Operation STRATUS to deal with some of those criminal gangs. That is not to say all those issues have been dealt with.
As much as some streamlining is being offered in the new model, it does not make sense to me that Louth with its towns of Dundalk and Drogheda with their significant crime rates would be put in with Cavan and Monaghan and that there would be a single superintendent with responsibility for intelligence-led operations and serious crime, including murder investigations, across that area.
Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and to pass on the apologies of the Minister, who is in Brussels and, unfortunately, cannot be here.
As he will be aware, the Garda Commissioner determines the divisional structures throughout the State. The Minister does not have a role nor can she seek to direct the Commissioner regarding such matters. This is for good reason. We in this House have a policy role. Just as it is the Deputy's right to raise the points he just raised, there is a clear separation between the role of the Commissioner and the operational day-to-day duties he and his team carry out and the role of the Minister and her Department.
As the Deputy will also be aware, one of the core principles identified by the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland is that An Garda Síochána should be structured and managed to support front-line policing, which is at the heart of the concerns raised by the him. Front-line policing is what it is all about. As recommended by the commission and endorsed by Government, An Garda Síochána is currently in the process of transitioning to a new modern operating model. The new operating model structures require a change from the existing geographic model to a new functional-focused model. Specifically, the operating model will result in the enlargement of Garda divisions reducing the existing number of divisions from 28 to 21. Roll out of the model is underway, as the Deputy outlined in his contribution, with seven of the 21 divisions rolled out so far. The model is fully commenced in Dublin South Central, Cork city, Kerry, Galway, Limerick and Mayo-Roscommon-Longford, which were rolled out in 2022, and Clare-Tipperary, which was rolled out in August 2023. As we increase recruitment and as the operating model is rolled out across every division, we will see the reforms to strengthen community policing really take effect.
A particular strength of the operating model is that each division will for the first time have a superintendent dedicated to crime, a superintendent dedicated to governance and performance assurance and a number of superintendents in charge of community engagement.
An Garda Síochána has committed to ensuring superintendents will be in locations throughout a division and will not all be located in the divisional headquarters. There will also be a significant increase in the allocation of sergeants and inspectors to divisions, particularly in the area of community policing.
The continuing phased roll-out of the new Garda operating model will greatly benefit the Garda, supporting the redeployment of gardaí from non-core duties to front-line policing throughout the country creating larger divisions with more resources, increased Garda visibility in communities, a wider range of locally delivered policing services and a strong focus on community policing. The model will also facilitate more effective streamlining of administrative processes and reduce bureaucracy. Coupled with ongoing Garda recruitment, the roll-out of our community safety partnerships and community policing teams and bodycams, we are working to build stronger and safer communities.
Before this reform and the Commission on the Future of Policing, we were working with a policing model that was from a very different era that we inherited as a State. While the Deputy will reflect concerns there may be around change, not everybody likes change and change can be of concern to people, it is fair to say that nobody thinks we should stick with an old model from before the foundation of the State in some instances in terms of where Garda resources were placed. In this instance, we are seeing reform that is based on very significant work and with the expertise of the new operating model that is being implemented by the Commissioner and his team.
Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I will use the example of Donegal and Sligo-Leitrim. They said it was done on a geographic basis. I accept that Louth is the smallest county but it has two huge towns. If we are going to talk about crime statistics, unfortunately, Louth can hold its own with the best.
That is something we would prefer was not the case but that is the reality when you are dealing with big urban centres. We know the particular issues we have dealt with. There is one piece I really cannot get my head around. I understand the idea of streamlining. I really get it and also any civilianisation that can be done. The idea of community engagement which the superintendent puts forward makes complete sense. However, the fact is that we cannot deal with a situation where we have a single superintendent who is dealing with serious crime, murder, intelligence-led operations, and they are operating across all those three counties. I accept it is up the Garda leadership team to make the decision but in the end of the day the reviews that seem to occur seem to be highlighted by even the likes of my own colleague in Donegal, who is chair of the Donegal joint policing committee, JPC, by writing to the Commissioner and inviting him in. It is then reviews seem to occur. We know the whole issue with the rosters. The other issue my local JPCs have is the fear that we are going to lose community gardaí and members of the drug squad. As much as things did not go exactly well with the negotiations, it looks positive that the Commissioner has said he will meet with all the organisations individually, that there are no preconditions and that we may come to a solution. That is absolutely necessary. There have been some promises that people will not be leaving community policing but unfortunately I am hearing this is still happening in the town of Dundalk and I need to make sure it is not.
4:00 pm
Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for that supplementary response. I take on board the points. It is hard to stand up here and highlight negative facts about his constituency but he does that to highlight his concern. I appreciate that. I accept it and believe it is done in good faith. I also counter that by saying that surely the people who are making the key decisions about the new districts are the ones who understand those challenges better. These are the gardaí who deal with these areas. This decision is not being made in isolation. I would be more concerned if the decision was being made by politicians in this House who are not on the front line dealing with all of the challenges the Deputy has outlined. These challenges are not specific to his region. We have different policing challenges in different parts of the country. My county of Kildare, which is a commuter belt not dissimilar to Louth, has a lot of challenges with a growing population and all the challenges that come with that. Different areas have those different elements. This structure is about trusting the Commissioner and the senior management team in An Garda Síochána to make those correct decisions, deploy the resources in the best possible way using the new operating model, which I know the Commission feels very strongly is much more appropriate to the level of policing that is needed in Ireland in this modern era, and face those challenges down.
The Deputy mentioned the rosters. We want to see a resolution to that matter. He talks about his concerns about losing different officers from certain positions. Ultimately, the engagement between the Garda representative bodies is absolutely critical here. We all agree that the old pre-Covid roster is not the best option here, but similarly the present Covid-19 roster is not sustainable either. What we want to get is a balance in the best interests of the welfare of the members of An Garda Síochána who do such an important job around the country but which also allows us to provide the type of policing that the general public in this country expect and deserve. There is a balance to be struck there that can be agreed through proper negotiations and detailed engagement. I hope all parties get back around the table as soon as possible in that regard.