Policing Authority chief says priorities are appointments and resources

The Garda policing plan for this year – which lists priorities for 2016 – will be the last the force will draw up itself, the head of the new Policing Authority has said.

Chair of the new authority Josephine Feehily said that while current policing plans lacked specifics, these were often to be seen at local level. However she added that the authority could question the plans – outlined by Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan – at public meetings on policing, the first of which will be held by the authority in March.

While such measures were important for transparency and to build confidence in the Garda, and in the new Policing Authority, Ms Feehily said her priority was in appointments and Garda resources.

The authority will take responsibility from the Government for appointing senior Garda officers. Ms Feehily said she and her colleagues were looking forward to examining the level of resources available to members of the Garda to meet their obligations, an issue she said had been raised by many members she had already met.

“They told me they didn’t have enough resources. They asked me what would the authority do about that. They did certainly indicate poor morale; they talked a lot about equipment. That was before recent spending.”

Ms Feehily and her senior of ficers met Ms O’Sullivan and her senior officers for the first time on Thursday when the policing plan for 2016 was discussed.

Ms Feehily said the information imparted would prove invaluable because her agency would not only approve future policing plans but would also be considering policing priorities, resources and performance targets. The commissioner had also set out her plans for a “much transformed Garda Síochána”.

Ms Feehily made her comments at a media event in Dublin yesterday marking the onset of the authority’s work, one day after its first meeting.

Independent body

The Policing Authority has been established as an independent body to oversee the performance of the

Garda Síochána

in relation to policing services in

Ireland

. It is also intended to act as a buffer between policing and politics.

The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) will continue to investigate complaints made about Garda members, while the Garda Inspectorate will continue to examine policing policies and practices with a view to recommending reforms.

“Effective policing is crucially important for any society,” Ms Feehily said in her first remarks as Policing Authority chair. “In order to be effective, it must enjoy a very high standard of public confidence. Our job in the authority is essentially to enhance public confidence by independently overseeing the performance of the Garda Síochána in relation to policing.

“There are many aspects to oversight of performance and to enhancing public confidence,” she added, “and Garda accountability needs to be seen in a broad context which recognises those things that work very well as well as those which could work better.

“It will take time for the authority to establish itself fully but we are determined to move as quickly as possible on some critically important changes, such as discussing policing performance with the Garda Commissioner in public, so that citizens can more easily hear about the work being done by the gardaí, taking responsibility for senior appointments and establishing a Garda code of ethics as required by law.

Distinguished colleagues

“I am privileged to be joined on the authority by experienced and distinguished colleagues to begin our work. Their commitment and enthusiasm convinces me that we can advance our first set of business priorities quickly.”

She said the recent anniversary of the shooting death of Det Garda Adrian Donohoe was a reminder of the daily challenges faced by Garda members across the State. When she and her senior team had met Ms O'Sullivan and her senior officers they had conveyed their sympathies.