Probe claims some gardai policing roads are 'demotivated and unconcerned'

Irish Daily Mirror

4 hours ago

Some gardai tasked with roads policing duties in Ireland are 'unproductive' and appear 'demotivated and unconcerned' with doing an effective, professional job, a report has found.
While the independent review of Roads Policing found that a majority of Garda members involved in the work were productive and professional, it highlighted issues with poor productivity and behaviour among a 'noticeable' minority.
The Crowe Report said members who were 'disinterested' in the job were able to 'get away with such behaviour' to the 'frustration' of their colleagues, supervisors and managers.
The review by consultancy firm Crowe was commissioned by the Garda amid an increased focus on road safety in Ireland in recent years.
The Government recently introducing new speed laws and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has mandated that frontline gardai dedicate 30 minutes of road policing duties per shift.
The review assessed the effectiveness of the Garda's Roads Policing Units (RPUs). Its findings are based on visits to RPUs within six Garda divisions in Ireland.
It concluded there is currently a lack of 'effective sanctions' for poor performance, with supervisors and managers 'typically apprehensive' that any attempt to sanction a garda would create industrial relations problems with the Garda Representative Association (GRA).
The report said the heart of problem appeared to lie in the interpretation of the Garda's Performance, Accountability and Learning Framework (Palf) – with the policy thought to be inhibiting Garda supervisors and managers from 'proactively managing' and evaluating the performance of individual RPU members.
Assistant commissioner roads policing and community engagement Paula Hilman said described the findings as 'stark' and said it made for 'difficult reading'.
Ms Hilman said the findings of the report is also 'devastating' to garda colleagues. 'The calls I have had since the initial findings of the report were published, it's unsatisfactory. It's devastating to us. It's unacceptable,' she said on Thursday.
She said it is also devastating for the families of victims who have been killed on Irish roads and those who have been seriously injured.
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'We engage with those organisations who represent or work with people who have lost loved ones, or have been seriously injured. We totally understand how they feel,' she added.
'We will continue with that engagement with all those groups, because, equally, they are supportive of what they know we want to do, but we need to undoubtedly deal with the small minority of individuals and culture that has been identified in the report.'
Deputy commissioner Shawna Coxon said: 'It's completely unacceptable for the member doing it, and it's completely unacceptable that it hasn't been identified and dealt with by our supervisors.
'We have new performance regulations as of this year, that is new for An Garda Siochana. Many people may not know that, so this is something that we're looking at across the whole organisation, how to more effectively use those new performance regulations to be able to deal with this behaviour.'
Ms Hilman added: 'Our human resources department are also looking right across the Palf policy. There's two things, the performance regulations that came into effect in April with the new legislation, but also how we're interpreting that policy.
'Undoubtedly working really closely with HR, the work we need to do to support our supervisors that they feel empowered and equipped to be able to deal with the issues that they are seeing within their teams.' She said a steering group has also been set up to oversee changes within the force.
An immediate review of the Palf is one of several recommendations made by the reviewers. They said a more effective reporting and governance structure for RPU may also need to be considered by the Garda.
The report found no evidence of a systematic, organised culture of work avoidance or deliberately poor performance within Roads Policing and also found no evidence of bullying or dominance of RPU members by their colleagues.
However, it said the absence of 'effective supervision and management' – caused in 'large measure' by the interpretation of the Palf policy – had resulted in a culture of concerning work practices taking root.
The report also highlighted issues with significant numbers of vacancies within RPUs, with numbers down by 40% on 2009. The review said there also appeared to have been a lack of investment in vehicles and equipment in recent years.
GRA President Mark O'Meara said: "The publication of this report simply reflects the concerns and challenges that we at the Garda Representative Association have been highlighting for years.
"A depleted Roads Policing Unit, lacking in proper training, resources and equipment has been effectively mismanaged and contaminated while morale is on the floor.
"Despite all these challenges, this report states clearly that the majority of RPU members are productive, professional and focused on improving road safety, which is a testament to the work that they do.
"The Garda Commissioner and the Chair of the PSCA in my view showed utter contempt and disregard for the integrity of these members by making comments that questioned the professionalism of the entire unit when drip leaking certain lines before the Crowe Report was published which gave an unfair slant to the entire findings.
"This report concluded that while some members were demotivated by their working environment, they remained professional and productive and it found no evidence of work avoidance or deliberate poor performance.
"This report refers to just six Divisions and only a small number of RPU were engaged with. The unfair leaking of selected quotes from this report caused a public outcry. It was not only damaging to members of Roads Policing units, but as referred to by the Commissioner, his supervisors and managers were unable or afraid to deal with those members.
"The Garda Representative Association completely refutes such allegations. We work closely with supervisors and managers within An Garda Síochána and find those ranks to be competent and dedicated and it is an insult and an affront to all those that these allegations have been carelessly levied on all ranks.
"Commissioner Harris had been in his position for over six years when he received the report from a whistleblower, and failed to remedy the matter if it did indeed exist, and moreover he employed an independent review by Crowe, thus abdicating his responsibility as Garda Commissioner.
"This is not the first time our Commissioner had levied allegations against our members, however, it is the first time that the Garda Commissioner has apportioned unjust blame on all ranks below him of incompetence, inability and disinterest.
"On behalf of our Association who represents rank and file members of An Garda Síochána, it must be abundantly clear as to why our members voted 98.7% in the vote of no confidence against him.
"We at the Garda Representative Association have long highlighted the concerns and issues correctly highlighted in the Crowe report, and I firmly believe that this report justifiably apportions blame where it actually should be, and that is with Commissioner Drew Harris, and is more damning of him than the members of RPU.
"He has failed to address many, if not most of the issues we have repeatedly raised and instead, he has abdicated his responsibility in dealing with the allegations he raised and alleged, with damaging comments to the members of Roads Policing but also most distressing and damaging to members of the public.
"Unfortunately, the Commissioner chose to release this report, which he has had since March of this year, just two weeks before he retires, causing division and adding further anger not just to GRA members but also to other ranks within Garda Síochána."
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