AN GARDA Síochána needs new computer systems as a priority in order to match policing resources to needs in the community, the Garda Inspectorate has said.
Publishing its sixth report, Resource Allocation, the inspectorate said that outside Dublin there was no computer-aided system to provide "purposeful" data on Garda workload and the use of time. Such technologies were "standard" in most police agencies in Europe and North America and were "essential to effective police administration and operations", the inspectorate said.
Chief inspector of the Garda Inspectorate Kathleen O’Toole said she and her colleagues were “really stunned” to discover three years ago that there was no national computer-aided dispatch system. There is one in the Dublin Metropolitan Region, but it is “antiquated”.
The report says divisional chief superintendents do not know their average response time to calls for service, even for emergency calls.
“I understand that in this economic climate it’s not the time to recommend costly technology improvements but I think that . . . as technology money becomes available, it has to be a priority because it really will promote efficiency,” Ms O’Toole said.
The report makes 27 recommendations, including changes to rosters, a more structured programme of civilianisation and other changes to administrative duties to get more gardaí on to the front line.Rosters also needed to be adjusted to ensure compliance with the European Working Time Directive.
The inspectorate recommends the rationalisation of the number of Garda control rooms. There are 94, with plans to reduce this to 22. But Ms O’Toole said ultimately there should be just two central control rooms dealing with all Garda and emergency calls and that these should be managed and staffed by civilians.
Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern said Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy was preparing to implement a range of improvements, and he would work with him “to deliver an even better policing service”.
Fine Gael justice spokesman Charlie Flanagan supported the inspectorate’s call for changes to Garda rosters.
“The human resources challenges within the [Garda] are enormous. But they must be overcome in order to maximise the potential of a police force who have to date been held back by outmoded work practices and a lack of political leadership,” he said.
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors welcomed the report and said it looked forward to detailed discussions on its recommendations.
“It is important to point out that just before Christmas the association had in fact almost reached an agreement with Government on further discussions on Garda rosters which are a central part of the latest inspectorate report,” said association deputy general secretary John Redmond.
“The Government pulled the plug on those discussions unilaterally, and then imposed severe pay cuts on our members. Any further discussions on these issues will obviously have to reflect that reality.”