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THIS MONTH, THE Government announced that 39 garda stations would be permanently closed, as funding for the force was scaled back by €114million.
At the time Damien McCarthy, president of the Garda Representative Association of rank-and-file officers, warned that the move would change “the genetic code of policing”.
In an in-depth interview, he spoke to TheJournal.ie about the challenges facing the force today – with falling manpower, rising assaults on officers, and what he called “serious concern” about the Garda Ombudsman. He also criticised temporary release schemes. Here’s what he had to say:
On the system under pressure:
“We’ve had a large amount of people retiring in the last two years – 2,000 approximately. And because of the recruitment moratorium, our numbers have spiralled downwards – they currently stand at around 11,000. But what happens in a recession? Crime rises. CSO figures show some categories of crime are remaining static; others are rising. Burglaries and assaults among them. That’s part of the recipe for disaster. A breaking point will come somewhere.
“It’s putting pressure on the frontline operations on the streets, the men and women out there in blue uniform. But the specialised units are suffering as well. There have been incidents in the city centre when we have reduced armed patrol. The Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation are absolutely struggling with the number of files that are coming in. There have been difficulties ensuring that car crews are out operational – there are roughly 40 less patrol cars on the road than there was this time last year.
“Over Halloween, in Ballyfermot there were 12 guards on duty. Whereas in previous years it would have been up to 30. As a consequence, there were five guards hospitalised. So not alone will the community suffer, but those few guards that are on the street, they will have an increased risk.”
On assaults on gardaí:
“About two guards per day get assaulted in Ireland. We had 800 assaults on members of the Garda Síochána last year, up from 720 the year before. And that’s only the ones that were recorded – not the things that you might regard as a minor assault; getting punched and kicked and spat on. I have asked for the Minister for Justice to create legislation to act as a deterrent.
“We get cases when a guard had a fractured jaw, a broken nose, a broken hand. One had a glass bottle broken and shoved in his face. And we believe that should carry a five-year mandatory minimum sentence. Because it simply isn’t working at the moment. The uniform isn’t protecting us.
“In the last number of years, we’ve had new equipment issued to us, stab vests and incapacitant spray. They’re a necessity because of the change in society, people have become more violent. Back in the 60s and 70s, perhaps people had a lot more respect for a member of the Garda Síochána. But now people have no regard for the law. It could be as a result of a cocktail of drugs and alcohol, but people have no regard. If there’s a stiffer penalty, and tough legislation, it will send out a clear message.”
On public service pay cuts:
“We’ve had seven consecutive pay cuts, when we thought we were going to have two pay rises. People forget that. In the force we have predominantly people with less than ten years’ service. I’m representing a group of people who are at the start of their careers. They have negative equity problems. We had people lending us money because they thought we were public servants, that our pay packets weren’t going to be touched.
“We thought there was security. In fact, no there isn’t. We’ve had to suffer and endure all those massive pay cuts. The only way I can put it to you is that we’re struggling to cope. Who is suffering? The people I represent – and number two, the people we serve.”
Protesters gather outside the Dáil last month to demonstrate against rural garda station closures (Laura Hutton/Photocall Ireland)
On garda station closures:
“There has been a detailed examination of station activity, with a view to closing stations right around the country. But it is of invaluable assistance to have a garda station in a community. You can have a guard in a rural area that has built up a rapport with his or her community over a number of years. And we police by consent.
“We rely on that close relationship that we have with the local post man, the local shopkeeper, the local family; where the guard has been involved for years. So when and if something does happen, we rely on that person coming forward to give information to the guards. That’s how we’ve policed the state since its foundation.
“We are there to protect and serve the community, and in return we reap the benefits in some cases – where they feel that if there’s a wrong being done, they can go to their local garda station and give the information. That is priceless. If that is taken from us, the communities locally will suffer.”
On the Garda Ombudsman:
“I have no difficulty with the concept of an independent authority to investigate our matters. But in some instances, there has been a level of dissatisfaction, and serious concern about the way in which investigations were conducted. And I believe that is a very serious issue that must be addressed as a matter of urgency.
“I was disappointed as a result of one case in particular, about the manner in which an investigator had conducted himself. I refer to a recording that had taken place. A person that I represent had cooperated with an inquiry, and that person was brought before the courts on a charge of assault. The jury returned a not guilty verdict in less than 45 minutes.
“The guard had cooperated fully, and all other garda witnesses had cooperated fully. But a voicemail was left on the member’s phone, threatening the guard that if he didn’t respond to a phone call within an hour that it would be treated as a refusal to comply and the DPP would be notified the following morning. That type of activity is taking place and we have nowhere to take our issues.
“We have written to the Minister for Justice to ask him to set up an inquiry. And that was refused in that particular circumstance. It’s a sledgehammer to crack a nut, but we have no other option. Nobody is watching the watchdog.”
On the prison system:
“The prison service around the country shows that guards are doing their job. Prisons are over capacity in some instances. And measures are then put in place to alleviate that – so temporary releases are taking place, now more than ever before. People that we’ve invested a lot of time and energy in making sure that they’re brought to court – they’re being released.
“There are career criminals who are engaging in criminal activity the minute they’re released. Our members are being seriously assaulted by those on temporary release.
“This shows the cracks in the public service. It’s a wise and appropriate investment. It will save money in the long run, to make sure that the system doesn’t spiral out of control. Because it will take billions and billions and billions to clear up the mess that will be created.”
Damien McCarthy is the president of the Garda Representative Association.
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Screw the doctors, nurses, guards, fire service, ambulance service, teachers etc screw all the people who play an essential role in our society but make sure u look after the criminal scum who bleed us dry through welfare and legal aid, it’s not much of an incentive to get out of bed in the morning but that is where the divide between decent people and criminal scum lies
@ Thomas. What an ignorant comment to make.
@niamh what’s ignorant about that comment your home has obviously never been ransacked with personal belongings rifled through and your confidence completely destroyed, it’s people with an attitude similar to your own that have this country ruined, it’s a comment that’s obviously supported by the decent rational thinking people of this country
Have to agree with you Thomas. When there are lads going around free with 70 convictions for burglary at the age of 19 something is seriously wrong.
niamh elaborate on your point, don’t tell Thomas his point is ignorant and not back it up with a rational argument, his point is right on the money, whats irrational about it , explain
Tim, where are you getting that info? Not trying to be smart at all, I just hear shocking things like that every so often and have no idea where people are getting their facts from. Do you have links to information on conviction rates, sentences, recidivism rates etc. that can back that kind of thing up? I’m inclined to be uncertain about such shocking statements until I hear some evidence.
@aofie here is an example:
http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/dublin-man-hijacks-car-to-get-to-court-less-than-a-mile-away-531565.html
What Tim says is true. The amount of times I’ve read a story about some junkie who gets off with a suspended sentence because he started treatment and also has a serious history of convictions is unbelievable.
What Damien McCarthy says is also true, some people just don’t have respect for the law. Why would they? They’re not being made respect it.
Niamh, few posts later and it transpired you don’t even know who hands out sentences in our legal system and yet you have the brass neck to accuse Thomas of ignorance. This is pure doublespeak – liberals have redefined the term ‘ignorant’ from ‘not knowing about the subject’ to ‘not agreeing with us liberals’.
Why blame the “criminal scum” for guarda stations being shut. The reason for this happening is because the people you all voted as leaders have decided you should do without guarda stations because banks ran the country into the ground and now you are having to pay for their mistakes
@Thomas Noone & his green thumbers. How will dividing society into essential service workers and criminal scum address the problems you are concerned about? That what you’re getting at Niamh? We all ask questions about why manslaughter convictions are given when we believe murder would be appropriate. We’re all disgusted when someone commits a serious crime when out on bale or early release. Calling such people scum might make you feel better, but will it make the slightest difference to problem? How about some rational solutions…
Ther was a time a well aimed smack from a Gardai baton could put the worst offender back on the straight and narrow for a while but it is all about the criminals rights now and screw everyone else! STOP ALL WELFARE FOR SCUMBAGS AND USE THE FUNDS SAVED TO PAY THE GARDAI WHAT THEY ARE WORTH!
Wahay, foggy lad for Taoiseach, we need more like you mate!!
There are an awful lot of guards unfortunately that are just as big scumbags as any street hood. You don’t have to go far to hear or experience examples of corruption in the force. The Guards as a force need to be completely overhauled and many of the senior ones removed from the force. They need to start acting like a professional force and remove fire the ones that are not. The Roman Catholic Church destroyed its reputation through corruption, FF destroyed itself through massive corruption and criminality, the Guards will be the next body to loose the shine.
@tim there are not alot of gardai as bad as the scum they police and there are not alot of examples of corruption in the force, there are some bad eggs and some corrupt individuals in every job and in a force of about 11000 the stats are overwhelmingly on the good guys side
If you stopped a criminals welfare wouldn’t he or she be more likely to commit further crimes for the sake of survival? It’s not like there are millions of employers looking to hire ex-cons these days now is it?
Right on Tim Henchin!
Just made a similar point in reply to you on the other thread on this subject.
Its the free legal aid thing that gets me, that they get it every single time theyre in court…. there should be a limit to the amount of times the state pays to defend these scumbags. The same is true with malicious lawsuits which have become a way of life for a lot of the travellers, because of the free legal aid they can take a bullshit case right up to the high court and have nothing to loose, the unfortunate person being sued is better off settling out of court because of the legal fees they would have to pay.
@Niamh NiDhonachu clearly @Thomas has a very valid point in what he is saying, ya shudnt get involved in something ya dont seem to understand.
@conor there is no evidence to suggest arming police forces leads to a rise in armed criminals. however there is evidence to show that more criminals in Ireland are armed, while the people we send to deal with them are unarmed, something is flawed in that logic surely.
I think Niamh you will see Thomas was not actually saying ” screw the etc etc” read it properly and than apologise…. This country indeed , indirectly has more regard for the welfare of scum that the decent .
Maybe if you guys were packing some weaponry the scum would think twice before shoving broken glass in your face.
Terrible idea. More petty criminals would also carry guns. There would be a huge increase in innocent people and guards losing their lives in crossfire.
I don’t think treating guards worse, cutting wages and arming them more is a recipe for success. And releasing people to save money after the huge investment it takes to find and prosecute them is a false economy too.
I would not serve as a guard for the specific reason that they do not get armed. Very dangerous out there
Not the best idea,give the cops guns and the scumbags will load up even more.
Connor, Emma, so the logic goes that if the Gardai are armed and tough the criminals will be armed and tough. The same logic implies the reverse is true – the softer the Gardai the softer the criminals and by the extension of the same logic if one was to remove the Gardai all together the criminals would go away too. I don’t hink this is the way it works.
Furthermore, we Irish are always trying to be good Europeans and distance from the UK. So why is it that we are following the UK (failed) model of softly-softly policing? Nowhere on the continent you will find toothless police ‘armed’ with the uniform and authority alone. Security forces patrolling the airports and streets of France and Germany cold be deployed to Kandahar as they are and by no means be inferior in firepower. Our Gardai on the other hand struggle in a pub brawl.
dom i agree, too many little men have joined the guards in the last ten years, a security force HAS to look like a deterent, before it gains the respect it needs to become one, not like a skinny small bloke that got a hard time in school and is now taking it all out on the masses by handin out speeding fines with a hand full of ignorance and a power buzz
Here here, more pay is deserved by front line public servants and a bit of recognition is needed for the work of prison officers who have to deal with the scum everyday, who are abused and assaulted daily. There’s too much negative publicity around what they do and have to put up with.
The Guards should be protected (as a judge is) over pay and they should also be armed to the teeth against the scum bags out their,
Niamh,yes you are right say no more because you patently do not understand the point at all. The bleeding hearts have the country ruined. Gardai do a very tough job in an environmemnt that is frought with danger. I would never let any of my sons join the Gardai as I would be terrified for them. This country would be in a worse state only for the Gardai. Cutting their wages and numbers just demoralises them and other frontline staff like prison officers,nurses,etc etc. Thank god there are men and women that are brave enough to join the Gardai and deal with the horrible things most of us never see, fatal car crashes,violence, disfunctional people and everything inbetween.
With regard to garda members suffering negative equity, don’t garda get a rather gererious allowance of 50% paid off their housing costs and also for a member of the garda to complain about being bullyed by the people that police the Garda, I think is a bit ironic.
No, doc! Where did you get that little gem?!
Doc, your talkin tru your backside son!
@ Adrian, I understand the article very well and i never said i disagreed with what was said in it. But I’m being shot down for disagreeing with someone’s comment.
Well said Adrian!!! Every word you said in your great comment I agree with.you 100%!!
Fair play foggy lad, a man wit a bit of cop on.
Where did you pull this 50% off housing costs out of???
his arse Dan
I simply asked a question, please excuse the lack of a question mark. However, I believe that the Garda receive an allowance( not a wage payment) for housing costs due to being stationed any where in the country, if this is untrue I am sorry for any confusion caused.
Any one walking around with their hand stuffed down the front of their dirty tracksuit whilst spitting should get a clipping
I don’t think we appreciate just how anomalous having an unarmed police force is.
The exact list seems to be dispute, but there seem to be only about ten odd countries in the worldworking this system, at least according to here: http://www.policespecials.com/forum/index.php?/topic/32618-countries-with-unarmed-police/.
The Gardaí have done a fantastic job policing Ireland with only taser guns, batons, and recourse to armed backup, and that’s certainly the ideal situation, but as gangland crime continues to pose an increasing threat to society it’s time to question whether keeping the Gardai unarmed is really a tenable arrangement in the long term.
Yeh, let’s have more of “BANG BANG…stop or I’ll shoot”
“Two Gardai Assaulted Each Day”
But how many citizens are needlessly assaulted by Gardai each day?
what a stupid statement!
People are assaulted by Gardai all the time.
I’ve walked past thousands of guards in my life and never been assaulted. What is it that I’m doing wrong I wonder?
@Paddy, I was just about to say that…
Are you going to give us the answer Paddy?
I feel sorry for the Garda the shit they have to put up with from ugly cunts in grey track suites and then old over paid fools of judges handing light sentences . Their moral must be very low.
How Bizarre, good tune humphreys
“Back in the 60s and 70s, perhaps people had a lot more respect for a member of the Garda Síochána. But now people have no regard for the law. It could be as a result of a cocktail of drugs and alcohol, but people have no regard. If there’s a stiffer penalty, and tough legislation, it will send out a clear message.”
Is it possible that part of this is that many cops have a lot less respect for people too – as all are products of the same society and this becomes a feedback loop.
Also here a moral conudrum. Should i have respect for members of Garda Síochána who rounded up kids who ran away from institutions of abuse. Why should anyone have respect for people who carry out that kind of work. Or respect for a significant number of bullies and thugs involved in policing in inner city Dublin. Or in fact the expression of support of violence as voiced in many of the comments above.
Its shite that Garda get assaulted, but alot of them in my experience aren’t shy at dishing it out either.
http://www.kenfoxe.com/2010/03/terence-wheelock-and-his-injuries/
That quote from the article caught my eye too Mark.
Along with the valid points you’ve made I would like to add that when proven instances of Garda corruption go unpunished like for instance in the McBrearty and Shortt cases in Donegal respect for the police is undermined and that’s not because of a ‘cocktail of drugs and alcohol’ but a cocktail of coverup and unaccountability.
The appetite for sanction of errant officers seems to increase however as the ranking of the individual member decreases and that affects morale.
Yeah, nothing to do with hippie generation destroying authority for the last 5 decades. It’s the f***ing Gardai beating people randomly on the streets with no respect.
“A bit of recognition is needed for the work of prison officers who have to deal with the scum everyday”
I’m pretty sure that they had an idea that this might happen when they signed up to be a guard???
Do gardai sign up to be prison officers?
EH @ Gardai and prison officers are different services !!!!
What a bizarre thread to this article!
Garda uniforms do not suggest authority or instill respect in the way that they are intended. Even the word “garda” or “gardai” sounds ridiculous. It sounds too close to a “guard”, perhaps someone guarding a warehouse or guarding a field of sheep. Police should hope for a far greater sense of authority than this in order to be able to do their jobs right. They should either call themselves “police” or choose another more effective name. It would really help them to do this.
I realise that navy is a colour of authority so that’s fine but aside from the navy colour, garda uniforms do not do what they are supposed to do.
Blueshirts?
ha ha very quick mark!! :)
Their shirts are indeed blue
I love the word Garda and Gardaí. Even like when people say Guards. Don’t like police half as much. Garda conjures up an image of them being there to protect law abiding citizens. Police not quite the same IMO…
Mick, this isn’t the 70′s anymore! Where did you here that all Gardaí are firearms trained? More disinformation from uninformed people!
@ David. That is what I meant sorry, Im aware of how the system works. I know quite a few guards. And it’s a tough job. And what u said only highlights the prob I had with the very first point made. At the end of the day the judge has final say. But clearly I must be missing something here with the first point being made with all the thumbs down I got. So I’ll say know more. As someone else said I don’t know what I’m talking about. Clearly one isn’t allowed express their opinions!
well what IS your opinion then niamh?
Your still not making any sense Niamh!
Of all the threads I’ve read on journal this has to be the crazyist ever. Obviously a lot of comment deletions.
I was thinkin the same thing !
Hey Damien, should get the journal to check their printing equipment, in the photo at the start of the article it would seem as though your halo has disappeared….
I am unfortunatly old enough to remember the 70s and 80s, and as a former justice department employee, i also remember the “Garda Heavy Gang”,a group of hard drinking gardai who specialised in beating confessions out of suspects on the premise that if said suspect was not guilty of the crime that was being investigated , the suspect was probably guilty of some other crime. Remember Nicky Kelly, Oscar Brethnach, and many others. These individuals appeared n court black and blue from “falling in their cells”, or they were “beating each other up whilst in custody”. The behaviour of this band of uniformed thugs eventually led to costly compensation payments and convictions being quashed. the pendulum swung the other way and suspects were treated with the utmost deferance and respect and the victims were more or less ignored and forgotten, thus leading to a fall in respect for the Guard, and indeed many unsuitable individuals became guards at that time, and there is a level of corruption within the force that would not have been seen 30 or 40 years ago, this can be as simple as expecting work to be done for a reduced rate or free , and their fear of the Garda Ombudsman speaks volumes about their motives. All Gardai are trained in firearm use and they can be armed at very short notice. Whilst the corruption scandals reported are few the collateral damage to the force reputation has been monumental. That is why they do not command respect anymore, just like politicians and clerics. The nod and wink cute hoor syndrome has become endemic in irish society, one has only to look at the estimated figures for the black economy. Who created the gangland culture in Ireland ? The Irish People , The Government, (or lack of same). the Greed of everyone of us. Money, Power and sex, the 3 things that will destroy any man/woman. Put a beggar on horseback and he will ride you to hell.
The legislation dealing with the temporary release of prisoners (http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2003/en/act/pub/0034/print.html) lays down several criteria that prisoners have to meet before being released temorarily from prison.
The Gardaí can provide the Minister of Justice with a report/recommendation on a particular prison. Would this not prevent the violent criminals -mentioned in the article – from being released?
An alternative to putting people in over-crowded jails is for the courts system to impose fines on individuals for certain crimes. Community service schemes could also be useful as not only would they keep certain people out of jail (and so decrease prison population numbers/over-crowding), these schemes could also benefit the community.
Community service would be so much better for certain types of crimes, than taking up space in over crowded prisons
Doctors, nurses and teachers play a very important role in society, I don’t see why they are included in the above comment. That’s my point. The guards are the ones who are responsible for handing out sentences etc.
The guards do not hand out sentences… that is the courts. The guards do the hard leg work and have been only fantastic this day last year when my car was broken into, and earlieri n the year over the death of a friend. The ignorance on this thread is astounding.
niamh for christ sake cop on! read the initial point again, ……..and then maybe a second time,
Niamh you should jog on while you have a tiny bit if dignity left you are making a fool out of yourself, do a little bit of research and come back when you are ready, cringe!
Dis is a joke, please stop
Judges dish out the sentences
Call the Straz boy, call the straz…
have your say