DRINK-DRIVE GARDAI WILL BE THROWN OUT
Any officer convicted – even off-duty – is to be fired under new plans
GARDAÍ found guilty of drinkdriving would be automatically fired as part of tough reforms being considered by Commissioner Drew Harris, the Irish Daily Mail can reveal.
The country’s top garda is currently reviewing the force’s disciplinary code, which he believes is not tough enough.
Mr Harris has been signalling for months that he wants an easier pathway to firing members of An Garda Síochána for serious breaches of discipline. Garda sources said that the current rule on drink-driving is under serious
consideration, as Mr Harris is unhappy that gardaí who have been caught behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol can still continue working in the force.
In October, the Garda Commissioner appeared before the Justice Oireachtas Committee and said the force is ‘not helped’ by its current disciplinary procedures, which he said were not fit for purpose.
He said Garda management is focused on ‘completely overhauling our discipline code,’ without creating fear in the force. A source told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘The commissioner takes a very dim view of gardaí being convicted of drink driving.
‘At present, any garda convicted of this offence can face sanction up to and including dismissal after a disciplinary process.
‘But it is now under active consideration by Drew Harris to introduce an automatic dismissal for gardaí convicted of drink-driving.’
The source added: ‘The legality of doing this has to now be closely examined.’
Currently, any garda convicted of drink-driving faces a disciplinary investigation, following the conclusion of court proceedings. Each case is dealt with on its own merits. A chief superintendent is tasked with examining all the circumstances of the case.
While no statistics are available on the number of gardaí recently convicted of drinkdriving, it is understood that many remain in their jobs following disciplinary investigations.
One source said: ‘We are gardaí after all. We are supposed to uphold the law, so if we break it for something as serious as drink-driving, it isn’t unreasonable that we be immediately sacked.’
However, some sources pointed out that it shows that Mr Harris is ‘a hard taskmaster’.
Another source said: ‘He is taking a hard line with discipline. He has made it clear he is willing to come down hard on his members.
‘We will accept it, but no-one wants their boss to take a hard line with them, no matter what your profession or what the issue is.’
Other sources spoken to by the Mail said Mr Harris’s approach seems to be ‘at odds’ with former commissioners in some respects.
‘There definitely used to be a culture where gardaí would always stick together and protect one another, and that came from the top down.
‘I suppose we saw that even when Martin Callinan described the whistleblowers as “disgusting”.’
The source added: ‘The culture is changing, gardaí know that. But it doesn’t mean it’s easy to deal with a lot of changes.’
When contacted, the Garda Press Office said that breaches of discipline are dealt with under regulations established in 2007.
In a statement to the Mail, it said: ‘The Garda Síochána disciplinary regulations 2007 as amended provide for a breach of discipline of criminal conduct, that is to say conduct constituting an offence in respect of which there has been a conviction by a court.
‘The regulations provide processes by which such a breach of discipline may be dealt with. It is a matter for the commissioner to decide how a breach will be dealt with as each case is dealt with on its merits.’
Last year, a garda was arrested on suspicion of drink driving after a colleague pulled him over due to his erratic driving and defective vehicle. The member later returned to work at a Garda station in Galway.
On April 2 last year, the garda was observed driving his private car erratically.
The car also had a burst tyre, leading to his being pulled over. The arresting garda suspected that the man was intoxicated and ordered him to perform a breath test.
The case is still before the courts.
‘Willing to come down hard’ ‘The culture is changing’