It is to the credit of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors that a good deal of the debate at its annual conference has focused on the relationship between police and public. The agenda of any staff association will inevitably give priority to issues of pay and working conditions.
But it is clear that there is a growing awareness among these, the front-line supervisors, that the Garda has to improve its service to the public. The public wants higher levels of effectiveness from the criminal justice system as a whole. From the Garda, specifically, it wants more visibility, more response, more enforcement. It also wants more accountability. These are heavy demands on an organisation which is historically conditioned to regard itself as an arm of government, relating instinctively to higher authority rather than to the community.
For many years the Garda's good relationship with the people has been grounded in the efforts of individual members. Gardaí have been the backbone of sports clubs, civic groups and community projects. But the force's structure or constitutional base scarcely recognises these realities. Few members get promoted for their work with the community. The value system which cherishes such endeavours is an unofficial one. The force will not get away with it for much longer. The fabric of old values is wearing through in too many areas. Unless the Garda Síochána overhauls its structures, redefines its relationship with the community and adjusts its own internal priorities, the years ahead will see a steady loss of confidence between the police and the public they serve.
Commissioner Pat Byrne has embarked on a round of regional visits. He understands the problem. But only the politicians can give effect to the fundamental changes required. The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, has promised a new and independent inspectorate for the Garda, displacing the existing, discredited complaints system. The gardaí themselves know that there is a very high level of local dissatisfaction with the ineffectiveness of the criminal justice system, especially in the towns and cities. Accountability and effectiveness: these will be the tests of the Garda Síochána over the coming years. As Northern Ireland moves towards a new era of policing, so too must this State look to its laurels.