Speech
Speech by Minister for Justice Simon Harris at the Garda Representative Association (GRA) Annual Delegate Conference
By: Minister for Justice;
Published on
Last updated on
By: Minister for Justice;
Published on
Last updated on
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President, Vice President, General Secretary, Commissioner and Delegates,
Thank you for your invitation to attend your Annual Delegate Conference. I hope you have had a good conference.
I am delighted to be here with you to talk about our shared vision of a safer Ireland.
An Ireland where we have no tolerance for criminal behaviour.
An Ireland where you and your colleagues have the resourcing and tools you need to carry out your duties without fear of attack.
I want to assure you that you have my full support and the support of Government in achieving this vision.
I want to start today by thanking your members for their outstanding work during the recent visit of US President Joe Biden.
I know that so many people worked on your rest days, and changed plans and holidays at short notice, in order to protect the President and his delegation.
The visit had an enormous international reach and it was a very proud moment for our country.
You played a very significant part in that. Thank you.
But of course, your job doesn’t end when the news cameras stop rolling and the visitors go home.
I want to thank every member of An Garda Síochána for being there every day when the public needs you; for your dedication and commitment; for your patience and impartiality; and for upholding the human rights of every person you come into contact with in the course of your work.
As Minister for Justice, I recognise that it is your dedication and professionalism that affords the people of this country the right to live their lives in relative safety.
That is no small thing.
When the system works well, the majority of your day-to-day work goes unnoticed by the very people you protect.
But that is not to say it goes unappreciated.
The wide reach of your work is seen in every community in Ireland every day.
We see it in the continued decline in the number of burglaries of homes across the country.
We see it most dramatically in the sharp reduction in gun crimes we have seen over recent years.
But we also see it in the important youth diversion work you do to prevent young people from making harmful life choices.
And we certainly saw it throughout the high-pressure years of the COVID pandemic.
I wanted to be here to say thank you, in the first instance but also to assure you of my absolute commitment to do everything I can to assist you in your duties.
That involves keeping you safe in your work, and making sure you have many more colleagues.
If I can start with recruitment, I know that recruitment of new Gardaí is essential for you to achieve the very high standard of policing that you provide.
I am absolutely committed to supporting An Garda Síochána to ensure communities around Ireland continue to be safe and feel safe.
That support includes making sure you have the budget you need.
This year alone, a record-breaking budget in excess of €2 billion has been allocated by the government.
This budget is enabling unprecedented investment in necessary technology and other supports:
Budget 2023 also provided the funding to support ongoing recruitment of new Garda members and staff.
We are now in a phase of sustained, steady recruitment – including the most recent recruitment campaign which closed two weeks ago.
I am happy to note that interest in joining An Garda Síochána remains as strong as it ever was.
The Public Appointments Service has received nearly 5,000 applications – in line with number of applications in the annual recruitment campaigns which ran before the COVID pandemic.
COVID of course presented difficulties in getting recruitment and training back up and running, but we are now at a point where we have steady streams of recruits entering the Garda College every 11 weeks.
And we intend to run recruitment campaigns every year from now on.
Given the pride and dedication shown by you in the course of your work every day, in every county, I was not surprised to see that becoming a Garda remains a goal for so many.
As the campaign said – and so many Gardaí have reiterated- it is a job worth doing.
However, I want to take the opportunity today to say that this drive to recruit new Gardaí will not and should not mean that standards slip.
No doubt the job of a Garda is a rewarding and challenging one, but it is at times a difficult one.
New recruits coming in need to have the key attributes that make them suitable to join the ranks of An Garda Síochána.
I know that there are many young people in this country who have the necessary levels of dedication, fitness, education, interest and temperament required to become productive and valued members of An Garda Síochána.
I know that because I have met many of them.
I can safely say that escalated efforts in recruitment do not require any drop in standards.
The role of a Garda is naturally a physically demanding one and a good level of fitness is necessary for that.
I do not intend to take any steps to downgrade the requirements to become a Garda.
And I am pleased to have heard the leadership of the GRA state that very clearly recently.
I am also conscious of the facilities members have to work in. In my time in this role, I have had the opportunity to travel around the country and visit some of the stations.
And it is clear there has been significant investment in capital and improving where and how you work.
It is also clear there is much more to do and I will work with government colleagues on this.
With that in mind, I want to be very clear –assaults on Gardaí are absolutely unacceptable and those responsible will be punished.
When someone chooses to attack an on-duty Garda, they attack our whole society.
And while we all feel an impact of attacks like these – you just have to look at the public outrage at the scenes in parts of Dublin last year – I am very aware that it is your members who bear the brunt.
They bear the psychological impact of seeing a colleague attacked on duty.
Some of you bear the physical and psychological impacts of being attacked yourselves.
Attacks on Gardaí simply will not be tolerated.
I want you to be able carry out your duties in relative safety.
And young people joining your ranks need to know they will be protected and safeguarded.
There is already a range of very robust legislative powers available in circumstances where threats or assaults are made against Gardaí.
As I discussed with your Association leaders recently, I will next month ask Government to increase the maximum sentence for assaults on members of An Garda Síochána and other emergency service workers to 12 years.
I want to change the law in order to send out the clear message that attacks on Gardaí are not tolerated, and will be punished.
Also, as part of my department's Justice Plan 2023, the Anti-Social Behaviour Forum will review the already very strong powers available to An Garda Síochána in relation to public order and anti-social behaviour to determine whether any further legal powers would assist their role.
Another strand in ensuring your safety on the job is the introduction of bodyworn cameras.
These bodycams are something which you and your colleagues called for and I’m glad to say that the Digital Recordings Bill – which will allow for bodycams – is at an advanced stage.
Bodycams will act as a deterrent to some people who would do you harm when you’re trying to do your job.
They will assist you in identifying the facts of an incident after the fact for the purposes of prosecution.
We’re all aware of the growing trend of videos posted online by the members of the public.
These videos can be taken out of context or even edited before they’re uploaded to social media.
It only makes sense that you should be on a level playing field, in a position to record an incident as it happens.
I know that thankfully much of your work does not necessitate video recording but it is important that you have these tools to hand when you do need them.
I want to be very clear here today.
When it comes keeping you safe – giving you the tools and technology you need, like bodycams and related technology – I am on your side.
The voices I will listen to are yours.
The people on the frontline every day.
This is not a theoretical argument.
It is about you and keeping people safe.
It is about ensuring your members have the tools to protect you on the job.
It is about ensuring the Garda is not the only person who doesn’t have a camera when they arrive to the scene of an incident.
It is about sparing your members from having to trawl through hours, hundreds of thousands of hours, of footage to find paedophiles or children in danger.
It is also about sending out a very clear message that we support you, we trust you to do your job.
Events over the past week, which you will all have seen featuring heavily in media reports, have been a surprise to us all.
But I have been reassured at the speed with which GSOC and An Garda Síochána have responded.
While obviously I cannot comment in detail on any individual case, I have received a report from the Chairperson of GSOC, and I believe GSOC’s decision to refer this matter to An Garda Síochána is the appropriate course of action.
It is a positive thing that GSOC has invited An Garda Síochána to investigate any possible criminal activity in this case.
It is an important step to ensure public confidence in GSOC is maintained.
GSOC is an vital and independent body which supports public confidence in the work of An Garda Síochána and we must ensure its effectiveness.
We have seen An Garda Síochána deal with the thankfully rare incidents of criminality among its own members swiftly and decisively, without fear or favour.
And the same will apply if there is a suspicion of criminality anywhere across the criminal justice system – in GSOC, in An Garda Síochána or elsewhere.
Nobody is above the law.
Criminality or corruption in any arm of the criminal justice system will not be tolerated.
The introduction of new technologies is just one of the significant changes being implemented by An Garda Síochána.
I want to congratulate you and your colleagues and Garda management on the successful rollout of the New Operating Model to date.
I know that a policing service that is even more community-focused than it was before is something that every person in this country will benefit from.
The introduction of more civilian staff has meant that since 2015 almost 900 Gardaí have so far been able to return to front-line policing.
The integrated workforce model we have in this country, where Garda members and civilian staff work hand in hand, respecting and valuing one another’s skills and expertise, is to be commended and further strengthened.
It demonstrates the practical and future-thinking approach taken by the organisation.
Reform and change are of course challenging for everyone, but this also presents opportunities.
Opportunities to do things differently, to do things better, to reinvigorate an organisation and harness the talents and energy of its people.
I want to commend all Garda members and staff, and Garda management for the way in which you continue to implement change and modernise the force for the good of everyone – both yourselves and the public you serve.
We all recognise that no organisation can stand still.
I am confident that the reform programme is enabling An Garda Síochána to continue to grow and develop to meet modern policing needs while retaining its core strengths – its deep roots in community, all our communities, and the enduring trust and respect from the public it serves.
I am of course aware of the situation around the contingency roster and I appreciate there are concerns.
I know that all parties in this want to find a solution.
I strongly encourage continued engagement with the various conciliation processes.
My sincere hope is that the Commissioner’s decision to extend the contingency roster by a further six months, has provided time and space for all parties to engage.
Before I finish I am grateful for this opportunity to my sincere thanks to all your members for the work that you do for the people of Ireland.
Ireland is a relatively safe country to live in and to visit, and I don’t take that for granted.
Your attitude to keeping people safe and to allowing people to feel safe is greatly appreciated and admired.
And you do all of this as part of a largely unarmed police service.
That speaks to the immense trust and respect that the vast majority of people have for their local Gardaí and the Garda organisation.
For my part, I am committed to ensuring that the necessary changes and supports are in place for you to continue this extraordinary work.
I wish you all the very best for what I’m sure will be a constructive annual conference.
Thank you.