According to the Garda Commissioner, 18,000 gardaĆ is not an unreasonable number to have additional police officers to patrol the nation, reports RTE.
Inspectors and Garda sergeants have advocated for an increase in the force’s size to 18,000 members.
The force has a current strength of 14,090.
Additionally, Drew Harris stated at the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) conference in Westport that he acknowledges the five-year suspension for gardaĆ that can result from the disciplinary procedure being in place for too long, reports RTE.
He stated that there have been “learnings around recent investigations,” that a consultation process over the suspension policy is underway, and that he was open to their proposals.
The Commissioner met Sergeant John McCabe, a delegate to the conference and the son of late Detective Garda McCabe, who was shot dead by McAuley and three others.
The AGSI also applauded Simon Harris, the new leader of Fine Gael, for criticising the tricolour placed on McAuley’s coffin, reports RTE.
Commissioner Harris said that the three-county operating policing model had many benefits and that he was looking forward to hearing from the sergeants and inspectors about body-worn cameras and the investigation management system.
He further stated that each division now has a duty officer, and gardaĆ may now examine the consistency of responses in the investigation of major crimes like child abuse and coercive control, reports RTE.
Tell us your thoughts in the Facebook post and share this with your friends.