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BreakingNews.ie
4 days ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Some gardaí ‘unproductive' and ‘disinterested' in roads policing, report reveals
Some gardaí tasked with roads policing duties 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. Advertisement 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 introduced new speed laws, and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has mandated that frontline gardaí 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. Advertisement 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 the 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. 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. Advertisement 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. Ireland Gardaí who disregard roads policing 'letting colle... Read More 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 per cent on 2009. The review said there also appeared to have been a lack of investment in vehicles and equipment in recent years. Advertisement
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Irish Times
Many roads policing gardaí ‘unproductive' and ‘unconcerned' with doing good job
A noticeable minority of roads policing gardaí are 'unproductive' and 'unconcerned with doing an effective and professional job', a damning independent report has found. The Crowe Report was commissioned by Garda headquarters last year after an anonymous garda turned whistleblower, found some senior Garda members were 'afraid' to intervene when subordinates were persistently performing poorly. The report was presented to Garda headquarters in June and published in full on Thursday morning. It is scathing in its assessment of some roads policing members as well as their managers. READ MORE The majority of Roads Policing Unit (RPU) members are professional and productive, the authors state. But there is a minority 'who are disinterested in being productive and effective, and who are able to get away with such behaviour, to the frustration of their colleagues, supervisors and managers.' There is also 'wide variations' in the productivity of RPUs around the country. At the heart of the problem is the interpretation of the Garda's Performance and Learning Framework (PALF), an internal policy. According to the report, this policy is widely understood to prevent garda supervisors from proactively managing their subordinates. 'In effect, this is significantly frustrating the right of management to manage,' the report states. As a result, Garda managers and supervisors may be in breach of the force's code of ethics, which calls on officers to rigorously oppose unprofessional or corrupt behaviour. There is a marked reluctance among supervisors 'to proactively manage their staff resources' and to hold RPU members to account, the report states. A lack of resources is also a major contributing factor to the problem, the report states. In response, outgoing Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said the report makes for 'stark reading'. He noted some members had not issue with openly telling the report's authors about their lack of interest in roads policing and describing how they go about avoiding work. It is also unsatisfactory that their supervisors do not believe they can engage in performance management of these members, Mr Harris said. Commenting on the then unpublished report last month, Elaine Byrne, the head of the Policing and Community Safety Authority (PCSA), a Garda oversight agency, said the report was a 'wake up' call for the Garda , adding the authority had 'concerns about the absence of performance management within the guards'. She described as 'shocking' the way some gardaí openly expressed their lack of interest in doing their jobs when the personnel who were reviewing roads policing across the Garda went out on duty with them.
