GRA wants Garda reserve scrapped

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) has unanimously backed a call for the abolition of the Garda reserve.

Speaking at their annual conference in Westport today members said full time police officers were too busy to be "babysitting" and "mollycoddling" the part time reservists.

A number of speakers at the conference referred to the continued recruitment of unpaid part-time reservists at a time when the recruitment of full-time gardaí has been stopped. There was also criticism of the deployment of reservists to their own neighbourhoods after what was described as "a few hours" training.

Some €4m a year is spent on the training of reservist gardaí, a figure that conference speakers said equated to the training of 100 full time gardaí.

The part time reserve force which was introduced in 2005 is set to reach its full strength, at ten per cent of the total number of full-time gardaí in about 18 months. At that time there would be some 1,400 reservists on the force. The Garda has said there is a long waiting list for reservists.

However, Gda John Brosnan told the conference training of reservists could not be compared to the training of full time officers and he warned: "The use of improperly trained volunteers undermines trained gardaí."

He said the reserve force should be abolished and money saved should be spent "properly train full time members".

Recruitment of reservists has not been affected by the public sector recruitment moratorium because it is an unpaid force.

Gda Peter Devine said the money should be invested in full-time policing. He asked would the public prefer "full-time, properly trained, committed members of An Garda Siochána", or part-timers in doing a few hours".

"The public don't look at the shoulders. They think it is two full-time gardaí, they don't know it is one gardai out babysitting," he said. Gda Devine added he was astonished the Garda Commissioner was committed to the reserve.

Gda Michael Egan said he chose a career as a garda and spent two years training, 20 years amassing experience and was "still learning".

"But a few hours' training and reservists use the same uniform and appear to members of the public to be full time Gardaí. He also questioned the logic of how "a reservist can police his own town after a few hours training".