Garda Commissioner Drew Harris had much to show the media at an event at Garda HQ on Monday.
New riot gear, a massive water canon, smart body-worn cameras, hand-held computers and more secure vehicles, part of the force’s fleet, the largest ever.
Questions why one piece of useful equipment – a cadaver dog – was not on the list of new acquisitions were eagerly asked by the media, and easily answered by Harris.
The new kit got the attention but central to the event was the launch of a new report, Transforming An Garda Síochána, detailing the advances made in modernising the force since 2018.
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That was the year when the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland reported its finding and recommendations, laying out a roadmap for the years ahead; it was also the year Harris was appointed.
The good news kept coming but never far from any discussion of modern policing is the ongoing failure to recruit and retain gardaí.
And then there’s the matter of Harris’s unpopularity with the rank-and-file.
Crime and security editor Conor Lally was at Garda HQ and he tells In the News how the commissioner, who is due to finish up in September, will be remembered.
Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan
