Latest news with #ShawnaCoxon
The Journal
15-06-2025
- The Journal
Gardaí have launched review into new 999 call-taking system just a year after its launch
GARDAÍ HAVE CONFIRMED that a new 999 call taking system is being reviewed to find where it is going wrong. Deputy Commissioner Shawna Coxon told a Dáil committee this week that a formal process to examine why 999 calls are going unanswered is underway. It comes after the Dr Elaine Byrne chair of the Policing and Community Safety Authority said that gardaí wasting time on frivolous call outs was because of an 'over-correction' in the wake of the cancelled 999 calls scandal. As revealed by The Journal previously , gardaí are facing a backlog of hundreds of calls on a daily basis across the country because there is now no triaging of calls. First reported in 2023, multiple sources said this week that the situation is unchanged. The Policing Authority carried out a major enquiry into the 999 call cancelling scandal . This identified failings in how domestic violence calls were responded. An Garda Síochána introduced a new Computer Aided Dispatch system known as 'GardaSAFE'. Along with that, members of the public calling the gardaí are directed through to 999 call lines – which means that all calls, no matter how minor, go through the emergency system. The practice came in for strong criticism from Dublin TD Tom Brabazon at a hearing of the Justice Committee. The reality of the overcorrection was laid bare in the hearing this week. Speaking at a meeting with Commissioner Drew Harris and other senior gardaí Brabazon said that the public's experience of the system 'was not a positive one'. 'People are very reluctant to ring 999, they feel that this is counter-intuitive. 999 has always been an emergency number, not necessarily for something that's potentially a quality of life issue like anti-social behavior, etc. Advertisement 'So the experience has been that people using 999 are not getting the responses that they require,' he said. Brabazon said he had a constituent who contacted him because she received no garda contact about a missing child call she made. Another constituent complained that there was no response to a criminal damage incident. 'The person rang 999 because they previously were advised by myself that was the course of action that they should take. There was no response. No gardaí showed up. 'He subsequently followed up with the local Garda station [but] the garda station had got no information on that particular incident. There was a complete gap, a complete breakdown.' In another incident Brabazon himself called gardaí last week when he witnessed an incident with a person wielding a knife which had caused significant distress to an elderly man. Brabazon said that no gardaí responded to the call after he gave the details on the 999 call line. Commissioner Harris said that the gardaí had received 'a lot of feedback not dissimilar' to what the TD had outlined following the rollout of the Gardasafe system and centralised control rooms. He confirmed there was a review underway 'to reassess this connection with the community'. 'Can I say it was done with the best of intentions in terms of having, in effect, a record, a recording of any exchanges with the public over the phone,' he said. Deputy Garda Commissioner Shauna Coxon that the review was underway to deal with incidents similar to the experience as Brabazon had described. Coxon said that the system was introduced because garda managers were having difficulties tracking responses to calls. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
03-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Garda Commissioner role: Long-serving senior members not in running due to pension tax concerns
The deadline for applications to become the next commissioner of An Garda Síochána has passed and the longest-serving senior members of the force are understood not to have applied for the job. None of the serving assistant commissioners who have spent their entire policing careers in the Garda have applied, sources said, with this in large part due to what they see as an onerous tax exposure on their pensions should they succeed Drew Harris and serve the full five-year term. The Irish Times understands Deputy Commissioner Justin Kelly has applied for the position, while sources said Deputy Commissioner Shawna Coxon has also done so. Ms Coxon declined to comment on the matter when asked by journalists at an event in Dublin last week. She was appointed deputy commissioner in April 2021, having previously been deputy chief officer in the Toronto Police in Canada. READ MORE Deputy Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly. Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins The recruitment process is confidential, meaning a list of the candidates who applied will not be disclosed. The advertisement for the job stated that applications were welcome from candidates with 'policing, security or civilian backgrounds' . But Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan recently said he would be unwilling to recommend to Government any candidate for the commissioner job who does not have previous policing experience. The deadline for applying for the position passed last Thursday and Mr O'Callaghan said he expected a candidate would be selected by mid-July. He said his intention was that the new commissioner would be in place to take over from Mr Harris when he retires on September 1st. The recruitment process is being run by Public Jobs, formerly the Public Appointments Service. When a successful candidate emerges from that process, they must be recommended by Mr O'Callaghan to the Cabinet for final approval. [ Outgoing Garda Commissioner's legacy one of 'mistrust and fear', says GRA head Opens in new window ] In reply to queries, the Department of Justice said the advertisement for the job stated a 'track record of leadership and success in a policing role is desirable'. It added that any candidate not currently serving in the Garda – including those from other jurisdictions – would be 'required to attest as a member' before taking up the role of commissioner. They would also be required to 'make a solemn declaration to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the State' in order to 'provide strong reassurance of commitment to our nation'. Mr Harris was appointed commissioner in October 2018 for a five-year term, which was extended by a further two years. More recently, he was offered a second extension, of three months, to facilitate the completion of the recruitment process to find his successor. That competition was delayed because the Garda oversight agencies with a role in preparing the process – the Garda board and the Policing and Community Safety Authority – did not commence operations until April 1st following a reconfiguration of Garda oversight bodies.
Evening Standard
29-05-2025
- Evening Standard
Man held at Dublin airport by police probing activities of Kinahan crime gang
During a press conference in Dublin ahead of the court appearance, Garda Deputy Commissioner Shawna Coxon said the man arrested had been the subject of an Interpol Red Notice.
