Members of the Garda will in future have to abide by a code of ethics, which could limit their ability to engage in outside occupations, the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, announced yesterday. Mark Hennessy Political Correspondent reports.
The Garda Commissioner, Mr Noel Conroy, will be required to consult Garda representative associations, the Equality Authority and the Human Rights Commission before drafting the new code.
"This is new, and provides a statutory basis for a code of ethics for the Garda Síochána. At present, there exists a declaration of professional values and standards," a document published by Mr McDowell said.
The Minister was persistently questioned about allegations that significant numbers of gardaí currently have outside occupations, which interfere with their duties.
In reply, Mr McDowell said he had no doubt that the code of ethics would deal with conflicts of interests, though "double-jobbing" may be best tackled by existing disciplinary regulations. "Conflicts of interest won't just be taking jobs as a bouncer, or whatever, which is now prohibited, but also taking on so much work obligations that, effectively, you totter into work exhausted because you are working so hard in some other occupation that you are ineffective as a member of An Garda Síochána.
"I don't know whether it is appropriate to set it out in a code of ethics, so much as to provide for that, as is done at the moment, in regulation. But as a matter of discipline it is important that members of An Garda Síochána, who are paid well, should regard their primary vocation in life as being policemen, or policewomen in our community."
Academics employed in colleges and universities currently have to get the permission of superiors before they engage in any outside activity, he added.
He said he would favour a situation where gardaí doing outside work in their spare time would have to notify and get the approval of superiors.
He went on: "I would have to say, however, that the old-fashioned myth that half of Rathmines in my own constituency is owned by gardaí is not, in experience, true."