Regulations will ensure that Garda Reserve is workable

The regulations governing the Garda Reserve will ensure the force is workable without the co-operation of gardaí, sergeants and inspectors.

The new reserve regulations announced yesterday by Minister for Justice Michael McDowell mean reservists can be deployed on a wide range of duties as long as they are under the supervision of a superior officer.

They do not have to be in the company of full-time members, which the staff associations had been led to believe. Reservists can be deployed on the streets under the supervision of a superintendent in a nearby Garda station.

A Garda statement yesterday confirmed that an open-ended reserve recruitment campaign will begin on Monday. The move to bypass the need for garda co-operation has already been approved by the Cabinet and is likely to incense the Garda Representative Association (GRA) and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI).

Both said last night that they would not be commenting on the regulations at this time. They are vehemently opposed to the reserve and believed they could render it unworkable by instructing their members not to co-operate with it. Because reservists do not need to be with full-time members when working this greatly minimises the planned policy of non-co-operation by the GRA and AGSI. Mr McDowell would have suffered serious political damage if his reserve plans were not working due to non-co-operation, as looked likely, in the run-up to next year's general election. Under the new rules reservists will still need to be with full-time members when on foot patrols or manning traffic checkpoints. If the associations pursue their policy of non-co-operation, which both have been mandated to do, they will likely block or frustrate participation by reservists in these duties.

However, under regulations approved by Cabinet, reserve members can be deployed on a range of duties where the supervision of a station-based superintendent will be sufficient to enable them to work.

These include duty at an outer cordon of major events such as festivals and sporting events; giving evidence in court; community and neighbourhood policing; assisting in the event of accidents, fires and major emergencies; monitoring CCTV footage in Garda communication rooms; Garda station duties and static security duties.

Under the regulations, published last night, reservists will be on probation for at least two years. The Garda Commissioner can at any time dispense with their services and can veto the application of any person. He can also waive educational requirements for any applicant he deems suitable for the force.

Training will be divided into five phases. These will involve a two-day induction course followed by 56 hours of training in the laws relating to assault, road traffic offences, powers of arrest and Garda information technology, and instruction in self-defence and handcuff techniques. Phase four will involve 40 hours work experience.