Garda reform has to be our No.1 priority
THE sweeping reforms proposed in yesterday’s report from the Commission on the Future of Policing certainly give cause for cautious optimism.
With 50 different recommendations dealing with all aspects of policing, the Commission, chaired by Kathleen O’Toole, former police chief for the Seattle Police Department and the first chief inspector of our own Garda Inspectorate, would seem to have left no stone unturned in its efforts to introduce better procedures and more effective practices across the whole network that comprises An Garda Síochána.
A merger of the Garda Inspectorate and the Policing Authority; a new emphasis on community policing; the replacement of Gsoc; and a stronger digital initiative across the force are just some of the report’s recommendations – indicating something of a new-broom approach.
Equally refreshing is the proposal to offer redundancy to officers who feel unable to work in the new policing framework. Undoubtedly this sends a very strong message: that there is a determination to reenergise and re-boot An Garda Síochána and that those who are not on board with this should not feel obliged to stay.
Other elements are also encouraging. The proposed development of a community policing model where individual divisions will develop policing plans appropriate for the needs of their own communities is welcome and long overdue. As is the recommendation that gardaí should not be spending their time tied up in the court system when their expertise can be much better employed elsewhere.
While these may seem like small changes in the overall structure of the force, nonetheless it is all of these small steps that will, in the end, contribute to the bigger picture and ultimately transform the force. With such radical measures to be considered and then implemented, this transformation will not happen overnight. But we must not lose the impetus. Now that we have knowledge of the specific recommendations, it’s important not to drag our heels. It’s vital that we now get on with it.