Garda superintendents have warned the management of Garda investigations will be compromised if increased early retirements from their rank become a ¿brain drain¿ because of the Government¿s public service cutbacks.
The president of the Association of Garda Superintendents (AGS) Martin Shanahan said morale among senior officers was low and early retirements from the rank were increasing as a result.
He told delegates at the association¿s annual conference that of the 181 superintendents in the force, 101 were eligible to retire immediately if they wished.
¿I pose the question, `what happens if these members do decide to go?¿¿
Supt Shanahan said 11 superintendents had decided to retire early since the start of the year. If this continued, coupled with the public sector recruitment and promotions moratorium, effective ¿management levels¿ would be difficult to maintain and front-line policing would suffer.
Already some existing vacancies had not been filled. Currently five inspectors approved for promotion to superintendent rank ¿are in a state of limbo¿ in relation to their promotions.
Mr Shanahan added that because of accelerated recruitment to the Garda in recent years the age profile of the force was very young, with 43 per cent of all members having five years service or less. These young members needed guidance and supervision.
¿The (Garda) requires a full complement of officers at superintendent rank to ensure that we manage the force effectively,¿ he said in remarks addressed to Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern.
¿It must be remembered that Judge (Frederick) Morris (of the Morris Tribunal) and others have laid responsibility squarely on the shoulders of superintendents for all operational, management and statutory functions in their areas of responsibility. We cannot leave such posts vacant.¿
Mr Shanahan said public expenditure cuts were ¿particularly regrettable¿ because those who had most benefited from the boom years had contributed to the current crisis by greed and mismanagement but ¿continue to escape censure¿.
Garda Commissioner Fachtna Murphy told delegates there was ¿no doubt¿ that the public sector moratorium on recruitment and promotions presented difficulties for An Garda Siochana and other organisations. However, he was currently in talks with Mr Ahern to see ¿what can be achieved¿ for the Garda.
¿I would like to see (superintendents) positions filled which hold statutory responsibility such as district officers and detective superintendents.¿
The AGS one day conference in Westmanstown, west Dublin, also heard concerns about the operation of the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC), which investigates complaints against Garda members.
Supt Shanahan said 50 per cent of all complaints ¿ which number over 2,000 per year ¿ received by GSOC were referred to the Garda for investigation by superintendents.
This was despite GSOC having been established to replace the old Garda Complaints Board, which was criticised because it used members of force to investigate public complaints against gardaí.
Mr Shanahan said his association was opposed to efforts by GSOC to secure legislative changes that would result in even more complaints being refered to superintendents for investigation.
Commissioner Murphy said he supported the superintendents¿ view. He was in talks with Mr Ahern on the legislative changes being sought by GSOC. He wanted to reduce the demands currently being placed on superintendents in carrying out GSOC investigations so the officers would be available to focus on leading policing work instead.
