Frontline Garda personnel have cautiously welcomed recent comments made by the Policing Authority regarding several significant concerns about the Garda disciplinary process. In its Assessment of Policing Performance 2022, the authority expressed concerns about the potential misuse of discipline as a substitute for managing performance, the lengthy time frame disciplinary processes can take, and the detrimental impact suspensions can have on affected personnel. The GRA has also raised these concerns in recent years, including at its annual conference.
The GRA has praised the Policing Authority’s intervention and detailed its belief that members of An Garda Síochána must adhere to the highest standards to protect themselves, their colleagues, and the public; however, it also advocates for due process and fair investigations. The number of personnel suspended from duty has risen significantly in the past two years, with 107 suspensions issued in March of this year, compared to 50 in March 2020.
The Policing Authority’s report cautions that the current disciplinary processes within An Garda Síochána have several shortcomings, including inappropriate disciplinary action, lengthy processes, and unsuitable structures and processes for breaches of regulations. The GRA’s president has welcomed any investigation into the inexcusable delays in investigations that have resulted in record-high suspensions, which can destroy the lives and careers of members and deny communities their service.
Although new disciplinary regulations going through the Department of Justice aim to improve the current situation, Department of Justice figures published in November 2021 indicate that of the 112 individuals currently suspended, 31 were suspended in 2022, 34 in 2021, 29 in 2020, and 18 in previous years, with one suspension dating as far back as 2014. The recent Garda figures show that the most common reasons for suspension include sexual offences, theft/forgery, perverting the course of justice, disreputable conduct, drug offences, domestic violence, and assault causing harm.
As the GRA notes, it has previously submitted a review of suspensions policy to Garda HQ, and while they have agreed to just one meeting with representative associations in 15 months, they are continuing to work closely with Justice Minister Simon Harris on this critical issue.
