New Top Cop should signal a new era in policing

Alan Bailey is a retired detective sergeant who served for 36 years in An Garda Siochana. He wrote an article recently where he criticised the decision by the Garda Representative Association to organise a “blue flu” back in 1998.

The “blue flu” was a day of protest by the rank and file members of An Garda Siochana where over 5,000 gardaí reported sick and unfit for duty on a particular day. They took this unusual step because they were not legally allowed to strike but they felt that they had been pushed to the limit and needed to make a point.

Mr. Baily said; “Twenty years ago, when I was a garda, I succumbed to peer pressure and joined in the “blue flu” on May 1, 1998. To this day I regret my decision. I even view it as the low point of my career. We, as guardians of the peace, walked away from our posts and left the country unprotected. Shame on us.”

I think he’s stretching it a bit to say that the country was left unprotected. That day of action had been on the cards for some considerable time and there was a contingency plan in place to cover such an event. Members who were essential to State security, and certain other roles, were exempt from taking part in the protest while the army was also placed on standby.

All other ranks apart from regular gardai were also available for duty, including student gardai. While it wasn’t a perfect solution, the country was hardly unprotected.

He also suggested that the action destroyed the faith and confidence the Irish public had in An Garda Siochana, a trust built upon the personal sacrifices made by so many that went before. In the eyes of the public, he says, the Force has never recovered.

I also served for 36 years in that organisation and like Alan, I remember that day well. It was stressful for everyone because it was the first time the gardaí had challenged authority to that extent. It went against the grain to walk out and we all hoped that it wouldn’t come to that. But it did.

Many of us debated the rights and wrongs of that action and there were plenty who disagreed with it. But at the end of the day, we only had a representative association. That didn’t have anything close to the strength of a trade union, but it was all we had. As weak as it was, if we didn’t stand together, then there wouldn’t have been much point in even continuing with that.

Alan also points out that in 2016, both the AGSI and the Garda Representative Association (GRA) almost brought down the government with threats of strike action in support of pay claims. The cabinet capitulated, and he reckons that it was a pyrrhic victory, won by showing just how little some gardai cared for the welfare of those they are paid to protect.

I think that’s a bit harsh. In my opinion, AGSI and the GRA had little choice but to turn up the heat and they did it precisely because they did care, and they knew that the public was not getting a proper service because senior management was struggling to provide effective leadership.

The then garda commissioner, The Minister for Justice and other politicians were calling on the gardai to defer the proposed strike. They were suggesting that the relationship between the gardai and the community would deteriorate if the strike went ahead. They were concerned that the security of the State would be diminished, and the lives of its citizens would be put at risk.

It was wonderful to see this sudden interest in the quality of the service being provided by An Garda Siochana. Senior management and politicians could be about to experience the practicalities of running a police force with limited resources. If nothing else, the threat of industrial action was concentrating the minds and forcing them to consider the long-term future of An Garda Siochana.

The lack of confidence in garda management over a long period led to huge frustration which spilled over into a threat of industrial action. Maybe the “Blue-flu” and the threatened strike weren’t the proper course of action, but the alternative was to do nothing and that wasn’t acceptable either because change was needed.

The report by PricewaterhouseCooper proved that change was needed and found that cronyism and nepotism were flourishing within the Force and that while gardai are committed to their units and their colleagues, they do not hold senior management in high esteem.

That audit should make stark reading for senior management but whether they take any notice of it remains to be seen. Historically, they haven’t been great at looking inwards, preferring instead to circle the wagons, ride out the criticism and maintain the status quo.

The Garda Inspectorate recommended significant restructuring of the ranks. In its Changing Policing in Ireland report, published in 2015, the inspectorate recommended a cut in the number of garda regions from six to three, to help improve efficiency. It also suggested a drop in the number of senior gardai and the introduction of a divisional model of policing.

Management did not adopt the Inspectorate’s recommendations on the grounds that a “big bang” approach would have jeopardised the force’s relationship with the community. They have always been concerned about the force’s relationship with the community, but just not enough to bring about change.

Now change has been forced upon them in the form of a new Garda Commissioner. Drew Harris, formerly of the P.S.N.I, takes up the reins in September and for the first time ever, the position has been filled by a man who is not part of the system.

Interesting times lay ahead.