The Garda has fallen short on many of its policing performance goals with “only four of 18 targets fully achieved”, according to a report from a new independent oversight body.
The Policing and Community Safety Authority (PCSA) found nine of the 18 targets for the force were “partially met and five were not achieved”.
While efforts were being made to address the Garda’s recruitment and retention challenges, the report says the issue is not likely to be resolved in the short term and there will be a dependency on overtime spending “to ensure enough gardaí and garda staff are available for work”.
The report says the Garda made progress in tackling organised crime, but drug-related intimidation remained a cause for concern, as did the grooming and exploitation of children by gangs.
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The force also continued to “lag behind” other comparable organisations in terms of the technology used to run functions such as finance and human resources.
PCSA chair Elaine Byrne said the authority “acknowledges the progress made” by An Garda Síochána in key areas last year and the “commitment shown” by members and staff.
“At the same time, the report reflects the complexity of modern policing and the importance of ensuring that the right supports, whether in staffing, technology or training, are in place to meet public needs.”
The assessment focuses on the Garda’s performance last year based on the force’s annual policing plan and policing priorities set out at the start of 2024.
The report was compiled by the Policing Authority but has been published by its successor, the PCSA.
It says the Garda’s ‘operating model’ – meaning the amalgamation of Garda divisions, creating fewer but much larger divisions across the country – had been completed in 19 of the 21 divisions by the end of last year. The process has been fully completed since then.
The Garda staff associations have criticised the model, which is the biggest restructuring of the force in its history, saying the geographic area of many divisions, spanning several counties, is so big it poses policing challenges.
They believe resources were being drawn into urban centres in these larger divisions at the expense of the policing service available in rural areas.
The PCSA said personnel shortages across the Garda were cited by some members of the force as “detrimental” to the success of the operating policing model.
“In some areas there are geographical challenges reported, as the area to be covered within the division means that travelling – for example for detectives – takes up considerable time on a shift across more than one county,” it said.
Elsewhere in its review, the PCSA concludes there is “a need to examine the investment still needed in areas such as technology to assist in the identification of child sexual abuse material”.
Though “some progress has been made” more “investment is necessary to fully realise the full benefits from the initial investment”. More investment in ICT was also required “to support internal processes, such as anti-corruption, discipline and performance management”.
Furthermore, “no progress was made in 2024 in implementing performance management” even though it was “critical in supporting a culture of robust and supportive supervision”. This resulted in poor performance either not being tackled or an over reliance on the disciplinary process.
“Using discipline instead of good supervision and performance management inappropriately introduces fear and risk aversion to making mistakes,” it said.
In the areas of roads policing and public order policing, significant progress was noted. This included the direction from Garda Headquarters last year that all frontline gardaí must complete 30 minutes of roads policing during their shifts.
Public-order policing has been marked by significant investment in equipment and training, especially since the Dublin riots in November 2023. The PCSA notes some recommendations from a 2019 Garda Inspectorate report remained outstanding, “good progress” has been made.
