Madness of Thursday’s riots will seem minor if Gardaí are not given more support
PEOPLE need to feel safe. This is policing’s primary function; to serve and protect, and ensure the safety and well-being of the public. But would you have felt safe in Dublin city-centre on Thursday night as Garda cars, a Luas tram, a bus and other vehicles were set alight amid widespread looting and violence directed at officers?
People want to see a Garda presence on the street so they feel safe to go about their business.
There is nothing complicated about this. I spent 20 years in community policing, and the public always asked about the police presence on the beat; can we see more gardaí on the beat?
They want gardaí on the ground and visible – in order to make them feel safe.
Throughout the country, policing is not as visible as it once was, but in particular on Dublin’s main thoroughfare, where there should be a constant presence.
This is our capital city, and it gives people a good impression of Ireland to see a police presence on the street. It is something the public expects and is the norm in all other European cities.
From the day we entered the gates of the Garda Training College in Templemore, we knew exactly what our role was; to protect life, property, keep the peace, prevent crime and to uphold the human rights of all people.
There is a lot of focus currently on measuring police work, and in how a police officer prevents crime in the course of their duty.
But a Garda presence on the streets makes people feel safe, and this is something that cannot as easily be measured.
The chaotic scenes we witnessed on Thursday night have been building for a long time.
I also spent 20 years delivering a police service for minority communities throughout the country, meeting with the representatives from the various minority groups present in Ireland today.
It has to be borne in mind that Ireland has an exemplary record with regard to welcoming minority communities, who generally feel safe here and enjoy a good relationship with gardaí.
This type of policing is down to communicating with these groups on a daily basis and communicating with the Irish collective to make sure they are aware of who is coming to live with them.
Communication is the secret to policing. It doesn’t matter who they are or where they are from, or if they are left wing or right wing; you have got to communicate.
When people aren’t communicated with, when they are not told what is happening, they get angry.
Everyone – no matter what their political persuasion is – has the right to protest, provided they do so in a peaceful manner and allow people to go about their normal business. But when they fail to obey that rule, gardaí must then arrest them and remove them from the streets.
From 1996, the population of ethnic minorities has shot up from 0.5% to around 20% .
And yet, during this time, there have been no major racist incidents. However, following the events this week, it appears we may have arrived at a turning point.
Now, more than ever, it is critically important that gardaí are out there liaising with the communities to ensure the force is there to protect them. All across Europe, we have seen how far-right groups try to take control if they see a weakness in communication.
And you can guarantee that if they see a weakness, they will exploit it,
As well as the eruption of anger on Thursday night, it was also joined by the usual cohort of criminals who want to come out and have a go at the gardaí, testing them and the State to see how much they can get away with.
We were always known for being a police force who engaged with their community; we had a great rapport with the people and the local garda would see and hear everything and deal with matters in a discretionary manner as well.
Going forward, we need to take a look back. Policing is about protecting human rights, and the human rights charters are not merely to protect criminals before the courts from maltreatment.
Human rights are to ensure that every citizen of this country has the absolute right to live and prosper in a safe environment. And sometimes protecting the rights of people to live in a safe environment is necessary.
A garda can use force, provided they can show their actions are legal, necessary and proportionate, and that they have policed professionally, in accordance with human rights standards.
However, gardaí today fear they do not have the protection of being treated as innocent until proven guilty, and this is what inhibits many of our officers from using
Ireland has an exemplary record of welcoming minorities
Human rights charters are for everyone, not merely criminals appearing before the courts
Would gardaí have had legal protection if they used force on Thursday?
necessary force.
If they do so, they will have to answer for it and can be suspended from duty until the matter is investigated, and that can take a considerable amount of time.
The question is, would the public have supported the use of force against this violent mob on Thursday night?
And if they did use force, even if it was proportionate, would gardaí have had the protection of being innocent until proven guilty or would they have been suspended from duty instantly pending an investigation?
This is the big worry for frontline gardaí.
They need to be shown demonstrably, that provided they always act within the law and that their actions are proportionate, that they will have the full support of garda management. They are the ones keeping everything ticking over.
They need the full support of management and that message needs to be reinforced now more than ever. If we don’t get it right now, we will face serious difficulties down the road.
This week’s events will be minor compared to what will happen if we fail to get it right.
Dr David McInerney who served 43 years in An Garda Síochána, 20 years in the Garda Diversity Unit, three years working with the United Nations dealing with conflict resolution and also served a term as a consultant to the High Commissioner on Human Rights