Commissioner ‘has to go!’

“The commissioner needs to go! How can you keep going when 99 per cent of the people who work under you don’t want you? He has a decision to make,” said Cathaoirleach of Cavan County Council, Philip Brady.

He made the comments when the current crisis facing the force came up for discussion at last Monday’s monthly meeting on foot of a motion calling for more to be done to protect the future of An Garda Síochána.

Aontú’s Sarah O’Reilly had sought to speak on the proposed disbandment of community policing units but continued by raising questions over morale generally within garda ranks .

“So the Drew Flu has been averted for the time being. But what now?” asked Cllr O’Reilly after last Friday’s decision to agree an interim roster with all four Garda associations. “Is the latest kerfuffle in An Garda Síochána really just a problem with rosters? I’m afraid not.”

She lamented how the force was once a “highly sought-after profession” where new recruits “were happy to have an opportunity, settle in and do ‘the 30’ as they say.”

But, Cllr O’Reilly continued, policing is no longer seen as an “attractive career” and new recruits are “resigning at a shocking rate”.

“Questions must be asked as to why young people are fleeing what was once regarded as a decent career?” suggested the Bailieborough representative, who also challenged the remuneration deal since 2016.

“It’s very difficult for young people to work alongside senior colleagues doing the same and getting paid less – particularly with current house prices and cost of living. It didn’t work for teachers or nurses and it’s not working for guards either.”

The rise in serious incidents of crime, she claimed, is one of the “consequences of an underfunded, depleted police force”, and that as a country we have now “reached a dangerous tipping point”.

“Hundreds of Garda are being assaulted every year. Hundreds are retiring and resigning each year and recruitment to Templemore has collapsed. Morale is on the floor,” she concluded.

“One of the greatest attributes is knowing to admit when you’re wrong,” surmised Independent Shane P O’Reilly in respect of the position taken by Comm Harris on rosters.

He expressed great “upset” at the threat to community policing in his own area, which he said had played a crucial role across the county during the pandemic, and claimed Comm Harris had “put his own personal ambition above the people under his guise”.

Brendan Fay (Ind) said the country needed “more” community policing units, not less. “It was one of the only good things to come out of Covid.”

Fine Gael’s TP O’Reilly agreed, and supported an increase in remuneration for gardaí having previously tabled a motion calling for same.

Sinn Féin’s Paddy McDonald said he remembered when gardaí were known in their community. “Now they’re going around in a squad car. It isn’t doing it.”

There was support too for the motion from Fianna Fáil’s Patricia Walsh and Clifford Kelly, the latter of whom claimed that, with 500 gardaí to retire this year, the country was 2,000 personnel short of its previous targets. “It means the country is not being properly policed.”

After calling for Comm Harris to hand in his notice, the Cathaoirleach said, if it doesn’t happen, the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, should intervene.

“He has to go,” said Cllr Brady, who claimed that gardaí are being tied up in “paperwork” rather than working on the beat.

Fine Gael’s Peter McVitty noted that it wasn’t so much the policing that was a problem. “At court, the criminal gets off. That’s a big problem. It’s not right.”