SIGNIFICANT changes in the work of gardai have been suggested by management consultants examining the force on behalf of a Government appointed review group.
The changes are aimed at freeing gardai from administrative tasks and allowing them to concentrate on the "core policing functions" of preventing and detecting crime.
The report by Deloitte Touche Tomhatsu consultants is the first prepared for the review group chaired by the industrialist Mr Tony Barry. A second consultants' report is due shortly, before Mr Barry's group completes its own report for the Government.
Among the suggestions in the Deloitte report are handing over prisoner escort duties to prison officers and the Army, reducing the amount of "station counter" work carried out by gardai, reducing the opening hours of Garda stations re examining if gardai should be involved in cash and VIP escorts or providing ministerial drivers, and giving the Garda Commissioner greater powers over the budget and deployment of the force.
It also raises questions about the way gardai are used to prosecute cases and suggests that, particularly in Dublin, the methods used should be changed.
And in an unexpected finding the consultants suggest the Department of Justice has too much influence in the force, with officials concerned with details of operational matters rather than broad policy considerations.
If its suggestions are accepted by Government, the report will lead not only to radical reform of the Garda, but to a further reduction in the powers of the Department, which learned last week that its courts and prison functions are to be devolved to new agencies.
The 90 page report stresses that it is a discussion document based on our work during the first four weeks of the assignment" but says it will be integrated into a final report, due at the end of this month. It warns that "given the size of and complexity of An Garda Siochana it is obviously impossible to undertake an in depth study in four weeks".
The report lists Garda activities which the consultants suggest be discontinued. These include certification of unemployment benefit forms, collection of firearms fees, dealing with wandering horses, escorting prisoners and mental patients, execution of warrants, summons service and issue of licences (such as to bookmakers).
These should be handed over to other agencies, it suggests.
A second list of "activities to be further reviewed" includes escorting cash and VIPs, responding to alarm calls, traffic duties, providing ministerial drivers, patrolling the Border against BSE infected cattle, and sentry duties. It also suggests the force charge the organisers of sporting and other events not just for policing inside a venue, as now takes place, but for the extra gardai needed outside.
The report appears to accept the Garda management argument for closing some stations and limiting opening hours of others to free gardai for patrolling. It examines a Garda study which has shown that up to 250 gardai in Dublin and 140 outside the city could be freed for other duties if the number of stations open 24 hours a day is reduced.
But the report warns that the plan "may not currently be acceptable to a substantial proportion of the public. This problem may be overcome by gradual introduction, proper PR management, and education of the public on the benefit of such a plan."
The report says the Garda is "effectively controlled by the Government, the Minister for Justice and the officials of the Department of Justice", and that legal changes since 1925 have not affected the influence of the Department over the force.
The Secretary of the Department of Justice remains the "accounting officer" for the force, responsible for explaining the way it is run and how its budget is used.
"In principle this means it is impossible to hold the Commissioner or officers or members of An Garda Siochana responsible for their organisational effectiveness or efficiency.
"And further it appears from our discussions to date that the Department of Justice is involved very considerably in other matters - not just in broad matters of policy but also in decisions related to operational policing (such as the provision of mounted patrols, civilianisation of particular posts, discipline and deployment).
The consultants suggest greater autonomy for the Commissioner by making him the accounting officer, requiring him to give an annual assessment of the force's performance.
The report acknowledges the difficulties of measuring performance, but its analysis suggests that, while the Garda has become more effective over the past 20 years, this has not been enough to keep pace with the growth in the level of crime.
A reorganisation of the force both at headquarters and lower levels is needed, according to the report, with more power being given to lower ranks. It also suggests aligning the geographical boundaries followed by the Garda and other agencies to aid co ordination.
Regarding prisoner escorts the report notes that this requires a lot of Garda resources. For example, Mountjoy Prison in Dublin has a sergeant and seven gardai on duty for escort functions every day, but a further 20 gardai may be needed on busy days. It suggests the task be handed over to the prison authorities. "Where additional security is involved the Army could fulfil this role".
It also suggests that "the pro vision of court facilities within the confines of some prisons could also be considered," although it acknowledges this would require legal changes.
What may become a controversial part of the report examines the role of gardai in prosecuting offenders. It suggests "removal of members of An Garda Siochana from the prosecution function, or reorganisation of this function in the DMA." Historically members of garda rank have prosecuted their own cases in court in Dublin, while outside the city members brief their superiors who attend in court on their behalf.
According to the report, there is "a lack of clarity about the role of the DPP, the gardai and the Chief State Solicitor in relation to who prosecutes specific cases". They suggest the DPP's and Chief State Solicitor's offices be merged.
The Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, is among the members of the review group, and his contract requires him to co operate with it and implement decisions reached as a result of its work, due to be completed next month.