The Irish Times view on Garda reform: a big test for Drew Harris

The Government's decision to extend the contract of Garda Commissioner Drew Harris is a vote of confidence in his leadership. But it also brings pressure. He has been at the helm for 3½ years and much of the last two has been dominated by policing during the pandemic. The Policing Authority has repeatedly praised the force for an assured performance during that time. However, some of the goodwill towards the Garda had tailed off late last year, it said.

To date in Harris’s term a lot has been made of the much busier system of internal investigation. A range of inquiries, including some into very serious criminal allegations, have commenced. Suspensions from the force have increased three-fold during his term, to 95 at present. An Anti-Corruption Bureau, which will investigate Garda members, has been established and random drug-testing is being rolled out.

These measures follow years of scandal and failed efforts to bring about cultural change. A better-disciplined force is both welcome and essential and should help to deliver a more professional and consistent policing service. Yet it is other reforms that will be most obvious to the public.

Most people want to see more gardaí on the streets. Such visibility enhances public confidence in policing. Harris must bring about the civilianisation of as many posts as possible to free up sworn Garda members for frontline duties. Garda numbers were at an all-time high of 14,750 as the pandemic began but they had dropped to 14,263 by the end of last year. A recruitment campaign is underway.

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Gardaí who spoke to The Irish Times for a series on the centenary of the force complain that specialist units are drawing resources away from the frontline. In addition, 3½ years into Harris's tenure, some basic tasks remain outstanding. About 3,000 Garda members were waiting for advanced driver training late last year. Without it, they are not permitted to drive a Garda vehicle with sirens and blue lights activated. The Central Statistics Office still does not have full confidence in the Garda's crime figures and continues to publish them "under reservation" each quarter. That this is now seen as routine makes it no more tenable.

Harris’s major focus is the operating policing model; the amalgamation of Garda divisions and establishing specialist investigate units, for all types of crime, in each division. The measure of success in this regard will be rising conviction rates which must increase during his time in charge. Harris has won the confidence of the Government and, with it, two extra years in charge. That is a good decision. However, he will know that much remains to be done if the legacy of his commissionership is to be an organisation permanently transformed for the better.