FF: Minister must explain decision to slash gardai
Flanagan is Fears over pressed on cut proposals by to new recruits top cop Harris
FIANNA Fail has blasted the Government after the new Garda chief’s decision to slash recuits by a quarter.
Earlier this week, it emerged Commissioner Drew Harris was going against a State vow to hire 800 officers next year.
Sources told the Irish Sunday Mirror that in an effort to save money to fund operational policing he will only sign off on 600.
The Department of Justice confirmed there would be a reduction in recruits and has said it fully supports the decision.
However, Fianna Fail’s Jim O’callaghan expressed concern over the reduction and has demanded an explanation.
He said: “We are very concerned only 600 gardai are required for next year given that a significant number will be retiring, and also given recent reports about rural crime and road deaths increasing.
“Minister Charlie Flanagan and the Government need to explain the rationale.”
Social Democrat TD Catherine Murphy, who has raised the issue of Garda recruitment in the Dail, said the numbers give the impression the force is growing – but this fails to take into account the hundreds that retire each year.
She said: “The public want visibility and I think there’s a degree of security that goes with that.
“So it will be down to the Garda Commissioner to deploy the force and it’s his job to do that in the most effective way possible.
INADEQUATE
“There are operations where there would be a heavy demand on resources and those have to be supported.
“But it’s the ordinary policing, such as road checks, that doesn’t get done if you have an inadequate number of guards. The only way to rebuild trust in the force is for people to feel resources are effectively deployed.”
Earlier, a source said: “Most of the Garda budget – 90% of it – goes on wages. In an effort to make more money available for 2019 to deal with operational policing he has been forced to cut recruitment by a quarter. “This flies in the face of the Government promise but it is yet more proof of how promises are rarely connected with policing reality.” On Budget Day, the State announced an increase for An Garda Siochana to €1.76billion for 2019, which included provision for recruitment of up to 800 officers. A spokesman for the Department of Justice supported the Garda chief ’s decision. He said: “The Commissioner has now informed the Minister he plans to recruit a total of 600 trainee gardai in 2019. At the same time, it is his intention to recruit a net 600 Garda staff (civilians). “This will allow the Commissioner to redeploy 500 fully-trained gardai from administrative duties to frontline policing in 2019. “This is in addition to the 250 gardai expected to be redeployed to frontline duties.” It is planned the 600 recruits will be in three classes of 200 with the first starting training in April next year. news@irishmirror.ie
The public want visibility and there’s security with that TD CATHERINE MURPHY YESTERDAY