Garda management figures on Cork city force strength 'misleading', says GRA 

Figures provided by Garda management in relation to its strength in Cork city are “misleading” and do not reflect the numbers responding to local calls, according to the Garda Representative Association (GRA).

In figures supplied to The Echo, An Garda Síochána said there were 673 gardaí working across all ranks in Cork city.

However, the GRA said the statement does not reflect the number of gardaí who respond specifically to Cork city calls, and that the division is short “at least” 125 gardaí.

Pádraig Harrington, a GRA delegate for Cork city, said 80 gardaí included in that 673 work in national units based in Cork, such as the computer crime unit, and regional units like armed support and the Anglesea St regional control room.

“While they’re stationed in and around Cork city, they’re part of regional and national units and they are not a resource of Cork city,” Mr Harrington said.

He added that once supervisors of sergeant or higher rank were stripped out, that left 478 officers of garda rank — “boots on the ground” — in the city.

Dividing that across the four rostered shifts, and allowing what is known as an abstraction rate of 25% for leave, Mr Harrington said that meant only 90 gardaí were working in the city at any one time.

Comparative study

He said that the GRA had carried out a comparative study of Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) garda divisions broadly similar to Cork city over a three-day period.

“DMR West, which covers Blanchardstown and Finglas, and has 628 guards, 151 more than Cork City Division, had 688 calls for service over the three days, and in the same period Cork city had 633 calls.

“The DMR North, which has 652 guards, 175 more than Cork, had 627 calls, while the DMR North Central, which covers Store Street and has 553 guards, 76 more than Cork, had 626 calls, seven calls less than Cork,” he said.

“DMR South Central, which would be Pearse Street, Kevin Street, taking in Temple Bar, had 456 calls for service, 177 less than Cork, and they have 676 guards, 199 more than Cork.

“None of the Dublin divisions have specialist units or supply numbers to specialist units from their allocation of resources, as all specialist units in Dublin come under a separate division.” 

Short

Mr Harrington said the Cork City Division was “short at least 125 guards, and the reason is regional and national units are being counted as being resources in Cork city, when in fact they’re not.

“That shortfall in resources is causing a health and safety risk for gardaí on the ground in Cork,” he said.

A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána said that for operational and security reasons it does not disclose details of resources deployed to specialist units.

Noting that there had been previous negative commentary around too much centralisation of garda specialities based in Dublin, the spokesperson said local gardaí are now trained to serve in speciality areas.

“Any suggestion that specialist gardaí … are not providing a local service to the community … is extremely disappointing.” They added that An Garda Síochána has increased its number of civilian staff, releasing operational gardaí from office-based functions back to the frontline.