Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors
Press statement 26th January 2010
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors welcomes the Resource Allocation report of the Garda Inspectorate and looks forward to the detailed discussions on its 27 recommendations in so far as they affect AGSI members.
The association particularly welcomes the emphasis in the report on improvements in the service to the public and on officer safety.
“It is important to point out that just before Christmas the association had in fact almost reached an agreement with Government on further discussions on garda rosters which are a central part of the latest Inspectorate Report,” said association Deputy General Secretary John Redmond. “The Government pulled the plug on those discussions unilaterally, and then imposed severe pay cuts on our members. Any further discussions on these issues will obviously have to reflect that reality.”
Any talks would also have to be in the context of the increased workload imposed on remaining members by the embargo on promotions and appointments, added Mr Redmond. “In that context we welcome the Minister’s announcement today and we look forward to the day when the force is up to full strength in terms of sergeants and inspectors.”
The association also welcomed the report’s recommendations of further police support staff. “We welcome this bearing in mind the need for police officers to be familiar with administrative structures and the need to preserve promotional opportunities for gardai which are essential for morale,” said Mr Redmond.
He pointed out also that the report reflected the association’s long-running campaigns for the introduction of more modern technology and for email facilities. “For too long the garda organisation has been relying on paper-based records which are manifestly inefficient and do not provide enough management information to run a modern police force,” he said - The report’s recommendations on the European Working Time Directive are timely and serve as a reminder that long hours of night duty are severely detrimental to health. “We will be looking very closely at this section of the report and studying the research referred to, with the best interests of the service to the public and the members’ health in mind,” he said - The association would also be studying the report’s call for a ‘graduated response’ to calls from the public. “We would be concerned if these recommendations would be used as an excuse to reduce the level of service to any person calling for garda assistance on any matter.” The garda service was 24/7 and the public should not be fobbed off when they have concerns which lead them to seek garda assistance, he concluded.
ENDS