‘They've let down their colleagues' – bereaved families of traffic victims ‘furious' at Crowe Report findings
Today at 00:30
For hundreds of families mourning loved ones killed on our roads, the Crowe Report effectively poured salt into already gaping wounds.
Grieving families were shocked to hear that any garda attached to a Roads Policing Unit (RPU) could be 'unproductive' and content with just doing the bare minimum in their job.
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Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
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Gareth O'Callaghan: Garda recruits start out full of ambition. What happens then?
The energy and enthusiasm was palpable around the courtyard of McCan Barracks — better known since 1964 as the Garda Training College — on the morning of June 6. Families and partners had gathered to watch 120 recruits become sworn members of An Garda Siochána. The pride was evident on their faces that evening on the news. Some 22 of these shiny new gardaí were born outside the State, from homelands including Belarus, Moldova, England, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, and Northern Ireland. The sworn declaration made by each graduate included the words: 'I will see and cause the peace to be kept and preserved, and that I will prevent to the best of my power all offences against the same." So, at what point, and why, does a freshly minted garda, filled with admirable intentions to make a positive difference in society, turn rogue? The recent Crowe Report's findings that a number of gardaí — a 'noticeable minority' — assigned to the national roads policing division are not carrying out their jobs, and have no interest in doing so, has been greeted with shock. Other findings show that gardaí who were not carrying out their duties didn't care that they were being monitored, and that their managers weren't dealing with the problem. What surprised me was how anyone who has been following what many might call the force's decline was shocked. An Garda Síochána assistant commissioner Paula Hilman and deputy commissioner Shawna Coxon at the publication of the Crowe Report in Garda HQ, Dublin. Picture: Sam Boal/ Collins Photos An Garda Síochána has been plagued by scandals since long before 2014, when the handling of the disclosures from two garda whistleblowers, Maurice McCabe and John Wilson, led to the resignations of justice minister Alan Shatter, garda commissioner Martin Callinan, and later his successor Noirín O'Sullivan. The nation was appalled when details of the venomous smear campaign aimed deliberately at McCabe, orchestrated by senior garda officials, were published. McCabe's legitimate concerns while a sergeant in Cavan during the early 2000s included the number of hours gardaí in his area were actually working, an overall demise of standards that he regularly witnessed, and a lack of work initiative among several colleagues. In 2008, following a number of slipshod investigations, including an assault in 2007 in a pub in Bailieborough where a garda probationer investigating strongly advised the victim to withdraw his statement against his alleged assailants, McCabe resigned as sergeant-in-charge. He resigned from the force in 2018, stating that the way his complaints had been handled had 'destroyed me, my career, and my family'. Following the scandal, Enda Kenny's government pledged to usher in a 'new era of policing'. Strong leadership For its gripping and thorough account of the Maurice McCabe scandal, I highly recommend A Force For Justice, by Mick Clifford of this parish. During their training, gardaí are taught that every human being is capable of committing shocking crimes — not just the criminal underworld or sections of deprived society. But that can come closer to home because as we have seen from recent high-profile cases some gardaí are also the perpetrators of crimes. Everything in life — without exception — depends on relationships, whether it's a marriage, a business, or a democracy. Every relationship in turn needs a strategy that is nurtured. Otherwise it fails. A police force is no different. It's a sprawling business that relies more than any other on strong leadership at every level, and on strategic planning Without flexibility, there can be no strategy. Survival relies on strategies that can adapt to an ever-changing landscape of challenges. If the different levels of superiority within a business refuse to work cohesively within the common strategy, then accountability goes out the window and the blame game begins. This is what has happened to An Garda Síochána; because a lack of congruence and trust at every level is failing its rank and file — the ones at the coalface. Driving on our roads these days is like jumping out of a plane with a parachute strapped to your back — your survival is in the hands of the gods. Roads policing is exactly what it says on the tin; or at least it should be. Its textbook objectives are the enforcement of current road traffic legislation. Reducing fatalities and injuries, while preventing criminals from using the country's roads for illegal activities, is the job description. It's a mammoth task, considering we don't have enough gardaí or vehicles, and this report proves that some gardaí in that unit have no interest in what they're being paid to do. How do the report findings make honest and dedicated gardaí feel? It's soul destroying to work with a colleague who doesn't pull his weight, even more so if your manager doesn't score high on the work ethic either. The Crowe Report found 'a noticeable minority' assigned to the national roads policing division are not carrying out their jobs. Picture: Sam Boal/ Collins Photos Top brass are quick to emphasise that it's a noticeable minority of gardaí who are involved; but at what point could a noticeable minority tip over into a small majority? What makes a young garda lose interest in the job? To answer that, it's crucial to look at the organisational culture of the force, which hasn't changed, despite Enda Kenny's promise. 'That's not how we do things around here' is not what a new recruit expects to hear on their first day on the job, but that's often what they are told. If your boss is a slouch, or worse a bully, in any business, then there's little incentive to stand out from the crowd and shine. It usually encourages the opposite. Many gardaí who were young recruits at the time of the McCabe scandal are now sergeants. Did the ruination of McCabe still influence the day-to-day decisions they make in relation to their obligations? In McCabe's own words: 'The system grinds down any individual who complains.' In organisations with rarified levels of management, there tends to be a lot of obfuscation, often coupled with a lack of accountability. When faced with a decision you know is the right one, but not the one your boss might opt for, then self-preservation kicks in. If gardaí lack interest in what they're employed to do, it points to a toxic culture, not only within the force but also out on the streets, that can slowly kill off their initiative to be the officer they trained to be. Then there's "presenteeism", where gardaí are turning up unfit to work because of mental health issues, which they fear would be regarded by their colleagues as a weakness of character. The GRA 2023 Why Are Members Of An Garda Síochána Resigning? report saw 32.5% of gardaí surveyed reporting a toxic work environment, while 37.5% brought up mental health issues and burnout. If the new commissioner has garnered anything from the legacy of the past 25 years, it should be to patrol the streets at least once a week in the company of those who do it every day, and to give them whatever new resources they need to do their jobs. Maybe then, the substantial minority might show some interest in the ordinary decent people they are paid to protect.
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
‘They've let down their colleagues' – bereaved families of traffic victims ‘furious' at Crowe Report findings
Some roads policing officers 'hiding' from duty and content to be unproductive Today at 00:30 For hundreds of families mourning loved ones killed on our roads, the Crowe Report effectively poured salt into already gaping wounds. Grieving families were shocked to hear that any garda attached to a Roads Policing Unit (RPU) could be 'unproductive' and content with just doing the bare minimum in their job.
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
The Irish Independent's View: Damning report on ‘lax gardaí' will only worsen morale in the force
There are clearly problems when gardaí don't want to do their job, but when their leaders aren't sure what to do about it, it is hard to see it as anything other than a crisis. The damning Crowe Report, commissioned by Garda HQ, is the last thing a force already suffering from low morale needs. It is bad enough that the report was ordered after a garda whistleblower claimed some senior members were afraid to act when gardaí were persistently performing poorly. However, the shocking findings can only serve to undermine confidence and credibility in a body dependent on both. It should be made clear that the report found the vast majority of the Roads Policing Unit (RPU) were professional and productive, but a minority were neither. They were 'disinterested' in being either 'effective or productive' and, what is worse, they could get away with it. A marked reluctance among supervisors 'to proactively manage their staff resources' to hold RPU members to account was noted. Speaking to the level of disquiet within the ranks, the biggest staff body in the force, the Garda Representative Association (GRA), has questioned the accuracy of the claims. It also bitterly attacked outgoing commissioner Drew Harris. It said he was 'disrespectful' to gardaí in abdicating his responsibilities as commissioner and valuing the input of consultants more than garda supervisors. Mr Harris would no doubt reject their claims. We hardly need reminding that in the first six months of this year, 81 people died on our roads. Corrosive relationships would be a concern for any organisation, but in the force, where trust and co-operation are central to protecting the peace and enforcing the law, that such levels of dysfunctionality and disrespect could go unchallenged will greatly disturb the public. Any notion that some gardaí may be lax about their responsibilities in an area so critical as roads policing and that they should not be disciplined for it is hurtful to victims' families. It will also raise troubling questions in the public mind, for if any lapse is tolerated in one area of policing, might it not also be permeating others? We hardly need reminding that in the first six months of this year, 81 people died on our roads. Justice Minister Jim O'Callaghan said that while the 'vast majority of gardaí are deeply committed' to their jobs, the report included 'concerning' findings. 'Put simply, the poor productivity identified on the part of some gardaí in roads policing, along with weaknesses in the approach to supervision and management of these officers, is alarming,' he said. Yes, they are a cause for anxiety, and they must be acted on. It is understood garda numbers are at just over 14,300 – despite targets of 15,000 – and they may sometimes be stretched. Gardaí have rightly won the respect of the nation for their heroic service. For any taint to the force's reputation to come from within its own ranks would be a terrible injustice to the many who served and still serve with distinction.
