GRA says justice minister ‘missed an opportunity’ by not attending conference

In declining to attend this year’s annual conference of the Garda Representative Association (GRA), justice minister Jim O’Callaghan has missed an opportunity to engage with gardaí and hear their concerns, the association’s general secretary has said.

For the second year in a row, the justice minister of the day has not attended the GRA’s conference because the association has again decided not to invite Garda Commissioner Drew Harris.

Last year, Mr Harris became the first sitting commissioner to not be invited to attend the conference, and the then justice minister, Helen McEntee, felt she could not attend in his absence.

At this year’s conference in Killarney, which began on Monday, the absence of an invitation to Mr Harris has again meant that the justice minister, this time Mr O’Callaghan, will not address the association, which represents almost 11,300 frontline gardaí.

In September 2023, almost 99% of GRA members voted no confidence in Mr Harris, who, following a three-month contract extension, is due to step down in September.

Ronan Slevin, GRA general secretary, said he believed it would have been of benefit to Mr O’Callaghan to hear first-hand the issues he would have to address as minister, and which he would also have to address with the new commissioner coming in.

GRA president Mark O’Meara said the theme of this year’s conference was ‘It Was A Job Worth Doing — Undervalued and Under Attack’, which he said reflected the feelings of many gardaí.

“The current operational policing model is simply unfit for purpose, with gardaí tied up in red tape and endless bureaucracy, stuck behind desks and computer screens instead of being out on the streets where they want to be,” he said.