Nóirín O’Sullivan says Garda 20 years behind on IT

Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan has claimed that public confidence in the Garda Síochána has surged in the last two years, but the force is still “20 years behind” on information technology and other key skills.

However, the commissioner said she was determined to create a Garda force that other police organisations around the world would look to as the example of best practice.

“The emerging crime and security threats and the environment in which we all operate takes a radically different form this year than it did just one year ago and it will morph again in every one of the coming years,” she said.

The “bad guy” criminals and the domestic and international terrorists would never stop being creative and posing bigger challenges, she told the annual conference of the Association of Garda Superintendents.

Operation Thor, launched last November, has already led to a fall of a third in the number of burglaries taking place.

Such operations are examples of the intelligence-led and resourced operations that were needed.

Organised crime

The commissioner also said the investigations into the series of recent events linked to organised crime and feuding were progressing well.

“If you look for example at the merging of the drugs and organised crime bureau, last year alone there over €21 million worth of drugs seized; over 20 firearms, including AK47s and Makarovs, and significant quantities of ammunition.

“This year to date there has been over €15 million worth of drugs seized, significant quantities of cash and again significant firearms, including very heavy weaponry such as AK47s, Makarovs, and significant quantities of ammunition.”

She added public confidence in the Garda, according to the force’s own public attitudes surveys, had increase to 85 per cent from 67 per cent two years ago.

More personnel

The association used its conference to call for a significant increase in recruitment to the Garda, saying years of falling numbers combined with new security challenges now facing the force needed to be met with more personnel.

While an estimated 650 new recruits were due to enter the Garda College in Templemore this year, up to 900 were needed. And they believed that level of recruitment should be maintained for at least three to five years to address the fall in numbers because of the recruitment moratorium introduced in 2008 and only ended 18 months ago.

General secretary Denis Ferry said his association had met the commissioner “and we’re all in agreement we’re looking at that minimum of an extra 150 to 200 per year”.

The main constraint was the budget for the Garda rather than the organisation’s capacity or the Garda College’s capacity to take in such a large number of trainee personnel, he said.

And it was a decision for the Government to increase that budget.

Asked where the most pressing need for additional personnel arose, Supt Ferry said: “I think it’s evident, it’s the frontline because that’s the core responsibility of the organisation; to ensure we’re there for operational policing. But there is demand right across the organisation.”