AGSI President Paul Curran Speech to Garda Commissioner Drew Harris Tuesday 9th November, 2021
Commissioner, National Executive, General Secretary, Colleagues, invited guests. It is my pleasure to welcome you to Killarney Commissioner to address the AGSI Annual Delegate Conference after what has been an exceptionally difficult period in policing. None of us in this room had experience in policing a global pandemic, but we leaned into our many years of frontline policing and emergency response to ensure the myriad of public health regulations were enforced. Disappointing COVID-19 Response It is only right that I begin with the disappointing COVID-19 response from Garda Management and our leadership. We don’t believe you Commissioner were vocal enough advocating publicly for us to get vaccinated. In fact, the AGSI voice was broadcast across the airwaves making appeal after appeal but the voice of support from our leadership was inaudible. We advocated publicly from an early stage for the wearing of face masks and in particular for those doing checkpoints which were done on a continuous basis, however, this was rejected by the CMO at that time and I believe that it wasn’t the welfare of the member that was under consideration but the appearance we would give to the public of members wearing face masks. We now know the importance of wearing masks in preventing the spread of coronavirus. While we are not public health experts, our role is to advocate for our members and we were disappointed that your support of this wasn’t forthcoming publicly. We also advocated for our members to be accommodated in an hotel of which most were vacant if they were close contacts or had other concerns, rather than the worry of them going home to vulnerable or elderly people. This was rejected by management which caused major worry to our members. Welfare for Traumatic Incidents Most members have encountered traumatic incidents throughout their careers – discovering dead bodies, attending suicides such as drownings and hangings, fires, fatal traffic accidents, murders and the list goes on. While welfare services are afforded to members to overcome these incidents, we believe that it should be made mandatory for members to visit the welfare which we believe it would remove the stigma that remains around this valuable service. Often it is difficult for a traumatised member to articulate and express the feelings they are experiencing; they may not speak to family members, friends or indeed Garda colleagues for fear of being judged. So, it is extremely important that members speak to a trained professional. On some occasions often depending on the gravity of the case, the welfare will be requested to call to the station but this isn’t always the case. Management conducts PAF meetings daily where all incidents are reviewed. It is at this point I believe Management should make a mandatory appointment for members to attend welfare. AGSI believe strongly that making engagement with welfare services mandatory would ensure that traumatised members are supported now but also that we change the culture and attitude towards welfare and mental health within the organisation. There are a lot of traumatic incidents where members don’t avail of the services of welfare for various reasons. Some feel their incident may not warrant going to welfare, some have fears of being perceived as weak or inferior; some are concerned if they are firearm holders that visiting the welfare supports may reflect badly on them. While this may not be correct it is still a concern for members. But my concern is that some members may never receive the benefits of welfare for their traumatic incidents. Suicide Rates of GardaiLinked to welfare is the harsh reality of suicide figures in An Garda Siochana. An Irish Times report from 2019 reported that there is a 4:1 ratio of suicide for members of An Garda Siochana. Why is this four times the national average of our general population? Is it the pressure of the job with all of the oversight focusing on their every move? Pre-retirement Courses Are members fully equipped for retirement? We believe that pre-retirements courses should be back and available to members. We need them to take place open face-to-face but the Garda college appear to be opening up other courses first and leaving the pre-retirement course to the end of the list. This course is only online at the moment. We believe it is the best opportunity for our members to discuss with their fellow retiring members how to plan for their future and get fully equipped for retirement; also to get appreciation from AGSI for their service to the force throughout their career something that is often neglected and people retire without even saying goodbye. Legal Assistance for Members A number of our members have contacted us stating that when acting in the course of their duties, they are receiving instructions from the legal section in Garda HQ to seek representation and legal cover from their Association and the state will reimburse them afterwards. This is unacceptable to us as an Association and when members are acting in the course of their duty they must be represented by the Commissioner in such matters. We would ask you to address this matter internally. Operating Policing ModelI want to acknowledge the earlier presentation from Chief Tony O’Donnell to our conferene today, it was very good and detailed. Are you satisfied that the Operating Policing model is on target? All over the country we have accommodation issues, and it is our belief that the Model has fallen behind schedule. Is it still the position that it is the appropriate model for An Garda Siochana or should it be revised? Centenary Celebrations While we look forward to the centenary celebrations it is regrettable that we were not allowed to be part of the working group established by you to manage the events. We would ask again that you revisit this decision. Conclusion In conclusion Commissioner, we would like you to support our members in advocating for their welfare. If we don’t look after our people, how can we look after the public? Thank you.
