BALLYVOURNEY has not had a Garda sergeant for three years, as a suitable garda with Irish language skills has not been found for the post, a Cork Joint Policing Committee (JPC) has heard.

Cork North West Fianna Fáil TD Aindrias Moynihan asked Chief Superintendent Vincent O’Sullivan about the number of sergeant posts in each of the Cork districts that are currently vacant.

He asked for: “The factors that will influence which posts will be filled next, the weight given in the decision to the Garda Commissioner’s commitments to serving Irish-language communities, the number of sergeant posts already filled this year, and the factors influencing how those posts were prioritised — and to make a statement on the matter.”

A fluent Irish speaker, Mr Moynihan said some posts have been empty for a prolonged period of time. In Ballyvourney, in the Cork Gaeltacht, a sergeant post has been empty for three years, as well as in Coachford.

There were promotions last year, with expectations that a Ballyvourney sergeant would be appointed at that time. The Garda Commissioner said they would be serving Gaeltacht communities despite difficulties obtaining Irish-language-proficient gardaí.

Mr Moynihan said other sergeants have been appointed across the region.

“The Garda Commissioner was saying that having people with Irish in the Gaeltacht was going to be a priority,” he said. 

“It really left us amiss as to why there was no sergeant appointed to Ballyvourney. What is the hold-up?”

Chief Supt O’Sullivan said the allocations of sergeants are based on a personnel basis of one sergeant to six gardaí. Ballyvourney is different as there is a requirement that the sergeant speaks Irish. The position was advertised, but no candidates who applied had proficiency in Irish.

“Those sergeants that did have proficiency didn’t apply for it." Newly promoted sergeants must undergo at least 12 months in their new role after accepting the job.

“There are sergeants that are coming up to that year, so we are hoping to advertise it again in May, and to fill the position as soon as we can once we have the suitable candidate that has proficiency in Irish,” said Chief Supt O’Sullivan.

“I would expect to have it filled in June at the latest.”

There is a sergeant in Macroom currently covering Ballyvourney.

In a statement, An Garda Síochána said it is committed to the Irish language, stating: “An Garda Síochána has long recognised the importance of the Irish language within the organisation as a policing skill and also its importance within the communities we serve.

“We are focused on improving the provision of bilingual services for our Gaeltacht communities. Our goal is to provide a high-quality service in Irish, as required, to the public we serve in those communities.”

An Irish Language Strategy was launched last year which aims to strengthen Irish language services within An Garda Síochána and ensure compliance with statutory language obligations.

“As part of this strategy, the Irish Language Stream in our recruitment process, which was established in 2013, currently reserves up to 10% of each intake for fluent Irish speakers.

“A vital element of this strategy is to increase the number of Irish-speaking personnel through the Irish recruitment stream, thus ensuring further bilingual services.

“To achieve this goal, we aim to work, in partnership, with external organisations, including Irish medium schools, to develop initiatives to attract bilingual speakers to join the organisation.

“However, it will take time for the benefits of the Irish language recruitment stream to become evident through senior ranks in An Garda Síochána as Garda members are promoted.”