Garda Commissioner calls for legislation to deal with assaults on members of the force

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has called for legislation dealing with assaults on members of the force to be updated.

Laws dealing with incidents such as the ramming of Garda cars needs to be updated, he told RTÉ radio’s News at One on Tuesday, as such incidents are “very nasty”.

The issue of assaults on gardaí is one “of great concern” and he had been assured by Minister for Justice Simon Harris that every support would be made available. The number of incidents had been “relatively static” over the last eight years, and the risk to members of the force was “one of the heaviest burdens” of his job.

Commissioner Harris also said that a request by the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) for bodycams was to help in gathering evidence, and members of the force felt such equipment would also provide protection for them.

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“We are only asking for what is the European standard,” he said of the equipment. Legislation would first be required, and then procurement of the cameras could commence, he said.The complexity of the equipment and the issue of storage of images needs to be addressed, but the development of technology meant that images of witnesses and by-standers could be pixelated.

[ Garda to introduce exit interviews after more than 100 resignations last year ]

On the issue of recruitment and retention within the force, Commissioner Harris said it would be “the tail end of 2024″ before the target of of a 15,000-strong Garda force will be reached. There are currently 14,100 members of the force. Mr Harris has pledged to introduce exit interviews to establish why resigning Garda members are leaving the force, saying any resignation was of concern.

When asked if there is a retention problem in the force, he said there was a lot of movement in the workplace, and the force would have to adapt to the modern job market.

Exit interviews would be conducted of those leaving the force early (not retiring) to find out why they were leaving. Commissioner Harris said that the suggestion of exclusion zones around accommodation for asylum seekers needed to be considered very carefully. Protests were part of life in an open democratic society, they had to be facilitated within the law.