Ditch all the ‘strategies’, what we need are gardaí on the beat

I was listening to Fine Gael Senator Maria Byrne being interviewed recently. She was promoting the idea of pop-up garda stations, which she said could be used to deter crime and restore confidence in communities.

Senator Byrne said that the link between anti-social behaviour and a lack of policing presence was clear.

“It would be a temporary Garda station, a unit that isn’t on the main street in our towns, villages, and cities, which gardaí could use to have a presence and provide information,” she said.

It’s all about having a greater presence on the street, it increases confidence which is something we all want.

“The roll out of more pop-up stations on a temporary basis would provide those living in rural communities (with) greater access to Garda services and provide a greater sense of security, especially to the elderly in these communities.”

That last sentence caught my attention. Had she forgotten who was responsible for closing those rural garda stations in the not-too-distant past? It was the security of those very same elderly people that many of us were concerned about at the time of those closures, but our concerns fell on deaf ears.

The then Minister for Justice, France Fitzgerald, assured the rural communities they would have a better garda service as a result of the closures, but Senator Byrne seems to have doubts about how that worked out.

The main point she was trying to get across, though, was that the physical presence of gardaí on the streets increases public confidence and deters criminality. She won’t get any argument from me there.

The various garda representative associations have been saying that for years.

Having gardaí on the beat was a strategy An Garda Siochána followed for decades. It was an essential element in maintaining law and order. Towns and cities were divided into small sections called ‘beats’, which were patrolled by gardaí on foot, 24 hours a day.

Gardaí on foot patrols prevented and detected crime, built a rapport with the local community, and gave communities a sense of safety. The patrols were easily organised and didn’t cost much, but not everyone appreciated their value.

There were many who wanted to change the policing style under the guise of modernisation.

The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland (CoFPI), the Garda Siochana Inspectorate, the Irish Policing Authority, the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission and endless policing plans over the years have had their say on how policing should be managed.

Many reports have been published, strategies identified, proposals and recommendations adopted, and plans for the future of the policing in Ireland unveiled. Vast quantities of ink and paper were used to print forest loads of paper and what did we end up with?

Well, for starters we have an under-resourced police force, led by senior officers from outside jurisdictions, and we have a force that is struggling to recruit new membership because it is not seen as an attractive career.

We have reached new depths too. For the first time ever, a motion of no confidence was expressed in the garda commissioner by the rank-and-file membership.

We have a leadership that can’t find a candidate to replace the current commissioner when he retires because of a financial issue which, if it isn’t resolved, is likely to result in the appointment to the top job of another officer from outside the jurisdiction.

It’s fair to say that, despite all the restructuring, the organisation is in crisis.

Between them all, they have managed to strangle An Garda Siochána with paperwork and oversight, and in my opinion, policing has been set back 30 years.

And the future isn’t looking too bright either when the politicians think the solution lies in pop-up garda stations, especially without considering the implications.

In her recent interview, Limerick Senator Maria Byrne said that her aim was for “people to have confidence” by seeing gardaí on the street”, adding: “A garda presence on the street is very welcome and has started to increase, especially here in Limerick. I do believe that having a garda station where guards can come and go is really important.”

She criticised how commonplace drug dealing has become on the streets.

“We need to keep fighting against it.” the Senator said. “The presence of gardaí on the street and the roll-out of body cams is beginning to help deter it, and that’s something we need to build on.”

She also suggested that these pop-up garda stations would be handy if gardaí wanted to interview someone or bring them in for questioning.

As a legislator, Senator Byrne should be more familiar with the legal requirements surrounding the detention and questioning of people in custody.

Specifically, The Criminal Justice Act 1984 (Treatment of Persons in Custody in Garda Síochána Stations) Regulations 1987 might have something to say about having prisoners in pop-up stations

She also suggested recruiting more civilians to run some of the offices, to put more gardaí back out on the street, but I was under the impression that the civilianisation programme in An Garda Siochana was well underway. Not before time either.

I can remember being told that civilianisation was imminent when I was stationed in Dublin more than 40 years ago, but maybe the senator is better informed.

If her opinion on policing is indicative of the current thinking of our legislators, then the future of policing in Ireland looks bleak.

The new Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023 is due shortly, which will add to the growing pile of consultants’ reports, expert working group findings, strategies, and designing programmes - and who knows what that will bring?

In the meantime, I have a suggestion. Let’s return to the best strategy of them all - put gardaí back on the beat where they belong.