Speech by Minister for Justice Simon Harris at the AGSI Annual Delegate Conference 2023

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Chairperson, General Secretary, Sergeants and Inspectors.

I want to thank you for the invitation to attend your annual conference.

I know what an important few days this is in your calendar.

It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to be here to look to the future and talk to you about how I see policing developing over the coming years.

At the outset, I want to express my sincere thanks to all members of the AGSI for the crucial work you carry out in your roles as members of An Garda Síochána and also as leaders.

As Minister for Justice, I want to be very clear that I take a hard line when it comes to crime.

There are five objectives which are a focus for me, and for the government, when it comes to supporting our Gardaí and communities:

• a bigger, stronger Garda Síochána
• Gardaí in the community, serving the community
• stronger laws to protect our emergency service workers
• equipping our Gardaí with modern tools and equipment
• respecting the job of our Gardaí and frontline workers

I have been privileged to witness the extraordinary work that Gardaí carry out up and down the country, day in, day out.

I want to pay tribute to you, as Sergeants and Inspectors, for the work you do in not only keeping people safe, but in guiding and supporting the Gardaí and Garda staff you lead.

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 of more than €2 billion has been allocated.

As well as allowing for unprecedented investment in necessary technology and other supports, this budget supports the sustained and ongoing recruitment of new Garda members and staff.

As you know, there is a recruitment campaign currently open and it is expected that interest levels will be high.

That doesn’t surprise me.

I know that the decision to become a member is not one to be taken lightly. But I also know from speaking to Gardaí all across the country, that members have a deep sense of pride and purpose in the contributions you make to your communities.

Every day I am struck by the dedication and bravery shown by you and your colleagues across An Garda Síochána.

And despite the challenges of the job, as the current recruitment competition reminds us all, it’s also a job worth doing.

As Sergeants and Inspectors, I think you are ideally placed to remind people of that.

And then to help shape the new recruits into being the best Gardaí they can possibly be.

And I ask you to make every effort, across the country, to maximise the level of interest in the current recruitment competition.

In particular, we need to make An Garda Síochána a more diverse police service so that everyone in the Ireland of today can see themselves in your ranks.

Great strides have been made, with female members now accounting for almost 30 per cent of members – one of highest female represented police services in Europe.

But I think we would all acknowledge we need to see more members of our new Irish communities in An Garda Síochána.

We have already increased Garda numbers by more than 10% since 2015, and we are in a phase of sustained increases in Garda recruitment again.

And when we talk about recruitment we need to make sure that includes Garda staff as well as Garda members.

To date, the concerted efforts in civilian recruitment have facilitated the redeployment of over 880 Garda members to operational policing duties.

While the recruitment process, since being disrupted by COVID-19, has been frustrating, I want to assure you today that efforts to get the numbers of Gardaí to where we need them are only gaining momentum.

As Minister for Justice, neither I nor my department will be found wanting.

Our commitment is clear. We want to reach 15,000 Gardaí, 4,000 Garda Staff and 2,000 Reserves, as soon as possible – and then push further.

I am confident that the pipeline of new talent is filling up. And that will only help to support all of you as you do your important work in the months and years ahead.

There is a clear need for more Gardaí.

But there is also, of course, a need to continually consider other mechanisms for supporting An Garda Síochána.

For the most part, the relationship between Garda members and the public is one of absolute trust.

We only have to look to the fact that An Garda Síochána is a largely unarmed, and yet hugely effective, policing service.

But that trust cannot be taken for granted, it must be tended to constantly.

Equally, you have rights too.

Just because you have chosen to dedicate yourselves to the safety of others, nobody has the right to assault you, threaten you, or ram your vehicle.

As your General Secretary has consistently said, we must always condemn assaults on members of An Garda Síochána when they occur.

They must never become an accepted risk of your job.

The public revulsion whenever your members are attacked shows the Irish people do not accept and will not accept attacks on Gardaí.

And neither will I or this government.

Perpetrators of violence against members of An Garda Síochána or of any of our emergency services must face the full rigours of the law.

I am bringing forward legislation 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 a very clear message: Attacks on members of An Garda Síochána will not be tolerated, and will be dealt with robustly.

In addition, as part of Justice Plan 2023 which I will publish later this week, I will ask the Anti-Social Behaviour Forum established under the Department of Justice to review the powers available to An Garda Síochána in relation to public order and anti-social behaviour.

This is something your leadership asked for, and which I am happy to undertake.

And we are making progress in ensuring the rollout of bodycams for Gardaí will begin later this year.

And I know that the Commissioner is also reviewing the equipment available to defend yourselves, and he has my full support in that.

Above all, you will always have my support to do your jobs.

We are rightly proud of the role An Garda Síochána has played in building our State – and that pride remains undimmed to this day.

That pride stems not only from your service, but your values and your ethics.

These include a Duty to Uphold the Law; Honesty and Integrity; Respect and Equality; Authority and Responsibility and Speaking Up and Reporting Wrongdoing and Leadership.

Treating people, including each other, with respect is especially critical to upholding trust.

No organisation is perfect; nor has an unblemished record.

What matters is how we deal with difficulties and instances of where individuals fall short of the values of an organisation, or indeed the law. It matters that the organisation is capable of dealing effectively with unacceptable behaviour.

I know you appreciate that by the nature of the powers you exercise under the law. That applies to An Garda Síochána more than most.

For the public to have absolute confidence in a police service, they must have faith that when the law is broken by those who are responsible for upholding it, the same treatment will apply to those who wear uniform as those who don’t.

Unfortunately, we only have to look to different jurisdictions to see what happens when a police service allows its standards fall to such a level where public trust is seriously damaged.

In recent times, the public have seen An Garda Síochána deal with thankfully rare incidents of criminality among its own swiftly and decisively, without fear or favour.

And An Garda Síochána’s processes for dealing with internal corruption, as well as our rightly robust oversight and complaints structures, are absolutely necessary.

Disciplinary processes must also be allowed to take their course.

That is as it should be; that is as it must be to maintain public confidence.

And with the most recent Garda public attitudes survey showing 91 per cent of respondents trust An Garda Síochána, it is clear the public have confidence in you.

Being a member of An Garda Síochána not only places a responsibility on you, but also a burden on your families.

They support you as you do your job protecting us.

They carry the risks of your job with them as much as you do, not knowing what awaits their loved ones – you and your colleagues – when they pull on the uniform.

I know the importance of a good work-life balance for your health and wellbeing, and also for your families.

I am of course aware of the situation around the contingency roster and I met with your President, General Secretary and other executive members a few weeks ago.

I strongly encourage continued engagement with the various conciliation processes and especially with the WRC.

The WRC provide the tried and tested expertise to find the solution I know all parties want to find. The Commission offers a route to ensuring that whatever roster is in place supports the health and well-being of members of An Garda Síochána as well as first and foremost serving the public, especially the most vulnerable in society.

My sincere hope is that Commissioner Harris’s decision to extend the contingency roster by a further six months, provides time and space for all parties to engage with the WRC process.

Criminal methods in many areas such as cybercrime and organised crime are becoming more and more sophisticated, and so you too have had to develop your methods of policing.

As a policing service, An Garda Síochána has continually evolved over the past century and we are now in the midst of the most significant evolution to date.

I want to particularly recognise the role that you, as Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, play in that change.

I would also like to pay tribute to the dedicated leadership of the Garda Commissioner and his senior management team.

You have made the case for, and delivered, enormous change in recent years.

I am very glad to note that the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill has recently completed Second Stage in Dáil Éireann and will start Committee Stage this month. Deputies across the Dáil were anxious to emphasise during the debate the esteem that they have for the work of An Garda Síochána and their wish that the organisation receives the supports needed to serve the community.

I hope to see this landmark Bill enacted in the coming months and implemented by the end of this year.

The Bill is based on the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland report, which itself was informed by extensive consultations across the policing landscape, including with the wider public.

The Bill has four main objectives:

• to make community safety an all of government responsibility
• to strengthen Independent External Oversight of An Garda Síochána
• to strengthen internal Governance by establishing a new non-executive board of An Garda Síochána
• and to improve the oversight of national security arrangements in the State

This collaborative action is fundamental to the success of the new structures.

The New Operating Model further embeds the ethos of community policing which I know has always been at the root of so much of your work.

We have allowed for a higher number of Inspectors to join your ranks to reflect the needs of the New Op Model.

As Sergeants and Inspectors, every day you see the value of the unrivalled bond An Garda Síochána has with communities right across the country.

This bond, which is the envy of so many police services around the world, has been built through a century of service.

The connection between you and your communities was rightly at the centre of the centenary celebrations last year.

And as we move into your second century, we must strengthen that bond further.

That’s why I believe we should always keep sight of main benefit of the Operating Model: ensuring there are more Gardaí on frontline duties in communities.

This will be strengthened through the new Community Policing Structures, with Community Policing Teams serving local people.

The challenges of modern policing mean that we must move forward with specialist units in areas such as cybercrime, domestic, sexual and gender based violence, drugs and organised crime and many others.

These units have been central to the many successes of An Garda Síochána in recent years.

They tackle organised crime gangs no matter where they try to spread misery – either at home or abroad.

They provide exemplary service to victims of the most awful abuse, which in turn encourages other victims to come forward where they previously may not have had the confidence to do so.

And we will complement these great successes with a strengthened community policing service.

Some may think that specialisation impacts community policing, or the other way around.

But these are not mutually exclusive goals.

Both represent the best traditions of An Garda Síochána.

And both are being pursued with equal vigour.

I have heard what your leadership and the leadership of other associations have told me: recruitment is vital to ensuring we have enough new Gardaí to build out these new structures.

That’s why getting more recruits into Templemore is so important and I again ask for your help in that regard.

I cannot stress that enough.

Another area of focus for me, is making sure that criminals cannot benefit from the proceeds of crime.

The Criminal Assets Bureau has been at the forefront of fighting organised crime and disrupting the activities of criminal gangs since 1996.

It is a world leader in seizing the ill-gotten gains of criminals - and I want to ensure it remains a world leader.

I will publish draft legislation in the coming weeks outlining significant reforms arising from a review of our Proceeds of Crime legislation.

We’ve seen how the CAB has worked with huge success.

And we’ve also seen how some of our most serious criminals have tried to stymie its work through repeated court challenges.

Some criminals continued to enjoy the use of their assets and property for lengthy periods by using these delaying tactics.

But new powers I will introduce will help thwart these efforts.

Courts will automatically appoint a receiver to a property when an order is made on whether an asset is a proceed of crime.

This will mean that the property will be in the possession of a receiver, and will not be available for use by the person being pursued by the CAB pending a final disposal order, which currently can last up to seven years.

We’ll also:

• reduce this period from seven years to two years – this is the time that must normally elapse before criminal proceeds may be confiscated following a court decision that an asset is a proceed of crime
• grant further powers to the CAB to allow it more effectively share information with other State agencies and with law enforcement in other jurisdictions
• grant anonymity to former non-Garda Bureau Officers, other former Bureau staff, experts from, regulatory or investigative bodies or independent experts, such as financial analysts, occasionally contracted by the Bureau, when called upon to give evidence at proceeds of crime hearings

One of the other issues which your leadership has raised with me, and one that I think is not discussed often enough in Irish society, is the need to support the mental health and wellbeing of all Gardaí.

This is absolutely central to a workplace that is welcoming, productive and safe to work in. One where people know they will heard and supported.

Policing as a profession exposes people to sometimes traumatic and challenging incidents.

In 2020, a survey of 5,200 Garda personnel found that over 63% of Gardaí occasionally experience trauma at work, while 45% experience high or very high stress levels at work.

As Minister for Justice, I believe all members should have access to the supports they need, when they need them.

My door is always open to any suggestions on how wellbeing supports for members of An Garda Síochána can be improved.

I am aware that a number of significant initiatives are already in place, but this is one area where we cannot do enough.

These initiatives include the independent 24/7 counselling service for Garda personnel, as well as the launch of KOPS – the Keeping Our People Safe health and wellbeing app.

I hope it is reassuring to know that trauma-based counselling is also now available to all personnel following on from a traumatic incident in work.

Enhanced psychological supervision and supports have also been put in place for Garda personnel working in Cyber Crime, Protective Services, and Specialist Interviewing.

It is essential that personnel working in these areas, who are often exposed to harrowing details and images, are supported with one-to-one psychological sessions.

In conjunction with the Employee Assistance Service, a Peer Support Programme was established.

Peer Supporters are incredibly valuable. It can sometimes be a lot easier to confide in a friend, at least as a first step. It really does help to talk.

These are significant steps forward but, as I have said, we can never do enough.

We can and must do more and I will work with the Commissioner to make that happen.

I know you share my vision of a strong and effective Garda organisation with the proper structures and resources in place to allow you to manage your areas.

I want to assure you that I fully appreciate there are significant challenges that come with the work your members do.

With that in mind, my department is committed to continuing to support recruitment, the introduction of better technology, structural reform, and legislative changes.

Of course, there are challenges, there always will be.

But where many other police services are reducing in number or at best standing still, we are committed to providing significant additional resources, be it for Gardaí, Garda staff, ICT, buildings, vehicles, and in the coming year for a new airplane and helicopter.

We can always do more, and I can assure you that we will continue to do everything in our power to ensure the Commissioner has the resources he needs to keep the public safe and that hardworking Gardaí up and down the country deserve.

As just one example of many, the work you did during COVID-19 was a credit to you all.

You didn’t just police the country, you helped those who needed help and your good humour and ‘can do’ attitude brightened the mood of the nation.

Your members are the vital link between operational and senior management roles.

As leaders, and the future leadership of An Garda Síochána is in this room, you set the tone in your respective areas for how those reporting to you treat the job, treat each other and treat the public.

The people of Ireland rightly expect a very high standard of policing and the role you play in maintaining that standard is both valuable and valued.

You help to keep Ireland safe.

Equally, you help to make people feel safe, which is often just as important.

I want to sincerely thank you for the fundamental role you play in protecting this country.