Garda boss faces backlash after some say disciplinary actions far from a fair cop

GARDA Commissioner Drew Harris felt the force was ‘too soft’ on discipline when he took up the position, according to sources.

But now Ireland’s top policeman faces a backlash from some senior and rank-and-file officers who feel his crusade to clean up the force is ‘overkill’ and damaging morale.

Members on the ground have noticed a change in how disciplinary matters are dealt with since Commissioner Harris took up the position in 2018.

One source said there has been ‘no huge shift in discipline’, but what has changed is the ‘nuclear option’ of suspending or sacking is happening straightaway. ‘The process is gone,’ the source said.

According to records released under Freedom of Information at the start of this year, 73 gardaí were suspended from duty, around double the rate of suspensions before Mr Harris was appointed.

Some members feel his attitude to discipline is ‘a bit overkill’, but others feel his manner has been warranted following a prolonged period of controversy in the force from 2012. The new Garda Commissioner pledged to make the force more open and transparent when he took up the job.

Former PSNI deputy chief constable Mr Harris, 55, has said: ‘We will deliver to the highest possible operational and ethical standards.’

‘He is definitely being tougher,’ said a source who predicted High Court actions from members who are ultimately found to have done nothing wrong.

Another source said: ‘What has filtered down is a reluctance of some members to work now. For many the guards is a vocation. They work all hours, come in on days off and carry out searches and get things done. A lot is done without pay. They live the job. But that has fallen off a bit.’

The comments come after a High Court judge quashed a decision by the commissioner to sack a probationer garda at the end of May.

A Garda spokesman said: ‘Commissioner Harris has continually stressed the need for members… to maintain the highest of standards in carrying out their duties as would be expected by the public.

‘Following recommendations by the Commission on the Future of Policing, An Garda Síochána is revising its disciplinary processes… serious alleged breaches of discipline [will be] dealt with through a formal discipline process and less serious matters… through a performance management approach, ie guidance, advice or training.’