The implementation of the Garda's new £55 million criminal intelligence and incident network - the State's largest computer project - continues to be delayed as members of the force continue to press for a special productivity deal. Both the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) and the Garda Representative Association (GRA) appear ready to prevent the introduction of the new system unless their members receive a substantial pay increase. In truth, the average citizen will be dismayed that the Garda are again threatening industrial action, less than a year after the notorious "blue flu" helped to deliver an increase well above the Government pay guidelines of over 13 per cent - including a payment under Partnership 2000 and two per cent against future productivity. That sense of public dismay will not be eased by the acknowledgment by AGSI's general secretary, Mr George Maybury on RTE's News at One programme yesterday that the new system will actually make the job of work easier for members.
The new computer system known as PULSE (Police Using Leading Systems Effectively) is intended to replace the existing outdated Garda network, which is not Year 2000 compliant. The PULSE system, involving 1,400 personal computers in 200 Garda stations, will revolutionise Garda communications by providing instant information on suspects. By linking and matching details of suspects and their criminal records, it will provide up-to-date intelligence information. It will also help to reduce the time spent by Garda officers on administrative duties by replacing station records with information on screen. The implementation of the new PULSE system is already well behind schedule because of the industrial relations problems associated with it. Both sides are digging in. The Garda associations insist that the new system represents a substantial change in work practices and merits a significant pay increase; the official side says that various computer networks have been installed throughout the various State agencies without triggering any such pay claims. It may be, however, that this dispute has little to do with new technology per se.
Rather, it may reflect a more general sense of unease among members of the force - not uncommon in other sectors of the public service these days - that their pay is no longer keeping pace at a time when the economy is surging ahead. At this juncture, it appears that some kind of compromise is possible with the Gardai securing a modest pay increase in return for co-operation with the PULSE system. But it might be that the Government would be wise to take the longer view by linking any pay increases to more fundamental changes in Garda work practices. The force needs a fundamental overhaul. It requires a much more effective rostering system and a radical shift towards civilianisation to augment the new technology that is, hopefully, on the way. The Government would better serve the interest of the taxpayer if it made any further wage increase contingent on co-operation with these and other much-needed developments.