Drew Harris will leave a legacy of “mistrust and fear” in An Garda Síochána when he retires as commissioner later this year, according to the head of Garda Representative Association (GRA).
The GRA’s general secretary Ronan Slevin made the remarks at the beginning of the association’s annual conference in Killarney which is expected to hear strong criticism of Mr Harris’s policies, particularly the implementation of a new Garda operating model.
For the second year in a row, the GRA, which represents 11,000 rank-and-file gardaí, has opted not to invite Mr Harris to address the conference in protest over his policies. As a result Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan declined an invitation to attend.
Asked what legacy Mr Harris will leave when he steps down in September, Mr Slevin said his policies had “single-handedly removed community policing from Ireland, a policy which was the envy of Europe”.
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During his term, the commissioner had the biggest Garda budget in history but serious issues still remained around recruitment and retention, Mr Slevin said, adding that garda numbers have remained stagnant at 14,000 while the population has grown by about half a million in the last decade.
Mr Slevin also pointed to Mr Harris’s “severe discipline and suspension policy” which he alleged has hampered garda members’ confidence in their ability to use force.
“I suppose you could say that he’s left the legacy of fear and mistrust in relation to our members,” he said.
Deputy general secretary James Morrisroe said the new policing model, which has involved the amalgamation of smaller Garda districts in a bid to increase efficiency, has failed.
He said the Scottish police has given up on a similar policy and gone back to an approach focused on community policing.
The operational policing model was introduced on the recommendation of the Commission on the Future of Policing in its 2017 report. Mr Morrisroe said in reality, the model bears little resemble to the commission’s recommendations.
[The commissioner] fails to take anything on board,” Mr Morrisroe said. “Everyone is telling him it’s not working but he fails to review it.”
On Monday, Garda Headquarters issued a statement which it said would have formed the basis of Mr Harris’s speech had he been invited to the conference.
Mr Harris laid out a number of achievements over the last year including tougher sentences for people who assault gardaí, a new roster agreed following extensive negotiations with the GRA and new vehicles and non-lethal equipment for members.
He also cited the roll-out of body cameras to 700 gardaí as part of a pilot programme and the raising of the retirement age to 62.
“I remain, as always, open to productive and fruitful engagement with all the staff associations, particularly at annual conferences, which offer an unparalleled opportunity for professional and respectful engagement,” the commissioner said.
