A culture of denial still existed in the Garda Siochana at management level regarding bullying, a conference organised by the Garda Representative Association (GRA) was told yesterday.
Mr Michael Kirby, vice-president of the GRA, called for new structures and mechanisms to help combat the problem. He was addressing a seminar in Dublin on bullying, harassment and discrimination in the workplace.
Many of the comments from GRA members attending the conference in the public discussion sessions centred on a need for an overhaul of existing structures.
Mr Kirby, one of four speakers, said the force was moving into a new era of greater awareness of bullying. However, management did not know how to handle it because it was something new.
A survey last year commissioned by the GRA's welfare committee from UCC showed that gardai suffered more stress than teachers or nurses. "There is a culture of denial," he said. "We've been living in denial that bullying actually exists in the Garda Siochana. Management are afraid to deal with it but I believe we will succeed," he said.
Mr Kirby said the sub-committee on health and safety in the GRA was trying to put structures in place in the Garda and introduce effective mechanisms for combating bullying.
The Garda Commissioner had said at their conference that bullying would not be tolerated in the Garda or against the public.
"But he did not admit that it actually exists, he only said that he would not tolerate it," he said.