An investigation into road policing has revealed that several gardaí are “unproductive” and seem to lack motivation or concern for performing their duties professionally or effectively, reports RTE.
The Crowe Report, an independent evaluation of the Roads Policing Unit (RPU) aimed at reviewing its efficiency and integrity, was released this morning.
As part of the assessment, investigators visited six garda divisions, reports RTE.
Findings indicated that some gardaí seem to “get away with such behaviour”, much to the “frustration of their colleagues, supervisor and managers”.
The report highlighted a “lack of effective sanctions” for underperformance, with supervisors and managers often hesitant to act due to fears that “any attempt to invoke sanctions would create industrial relations problems” with the Garda Representative Association, reports RTE.
“We found no evidence of a systematic, organised culture of work avoidance or deliberately poor performance within Roads Policing, and no evidence of bullying or dominance of RPU members by their colleagues,” it stated, reports RTE.
Still, it noted that poor management and lack of proper supervision had created the “circumstances in which such a culture has been able to take root”.
The report noted that a small number of gardaí were doing only the bare minimum—or even less—to meet their responsibilities, reports RTE.
Supervisors informed investigators that certain individuals would leave the station at the beginning of a shift and return at the end without issuing a single fine or making any detections.
It said some RPU officers working alone were suspected of “routinely park[ing] the patrol car out of sight and deliberately avoid[ing] doing any productive work for part or all of their shift”, reports RTE.
Some gardaí were said to be “eagerly” counting down the days to retirement.
Others appeared so disengaged that they didn’t notice their Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems were either switched off or not working correctly.
One officer was even found to have intentionally adjusted the forward-facing ANPR camera so its view was blocked by the rear-view mirror, reports RTE.
Most RPU officers ‘productive and professional’ – report
The review was prompted by a whistleblower’s report to garda headquarters claiming a large portion of officers responsible for road policing were neglecting their duties.
Commissioned by consulting firm Crowe Horwath, the review raised serious concerns around performance and accountability within An Garda Síochána, reports RTE.
It also revealed significant inconsistencies in productivity levels across various RPU divisions.
Despite this, the report stated that most RPU members were “productive, professional, and focused on improving road safety”, reports RTE.
The root cause of the poor performance and conduct among some officers, the report noted, appeared linked to how the Performance, Accountability and Learning Framework (PALF) was interpreted within the organisation.
PALF is a competency-driven performance management system meant to encourage career growth and ensure staff accountability across the force, reports RTE.
The review found that this interpretation has led to a widespread belief among supervisors that PALF policies stop them from actively managing or assessing individual RPU officers’ performance.
“In effect, this is significantly frustrating the right of management to manage,” it concluded, reports RTE.
Staff shortages, inadequate resources and limited training were all concerns mentioned in the report.
The Crowe Report identified job vacancies within the RPU as a key contributor to low productivity, with current staffing levels down 40% compared to 2009.
“In particular vacancies at supervisor ranks mean that there is a reduced level of supervision and management of RPUs,” it said, reports RTE.
The review also pointed to issues such as underinvestment in vehicles and equipment, with many patrol cars being too worn out for modern road policing demands.
“Members in all RPUs, including supervisors and managers, reported considerable frustration at RPU members being tasked to perform other non-urgent duties unrelated to Roads Policing, meaning that at certain times a division might have no RPU patrols operating,” the report said, reports RTE.
It also noted that some officers were unable to get driver training necessary for operating RPU vehicles, and that opportunities to learn specialised information—such as regulations on commercial vehicles—were limited.
Much of the current workload, according to the report, seems to revolve around checkpoint operations, reports RTE.
The review suggested reconsidering whether the emphasis on checkpoints is balanced compared to more proactive policing strategies.
“One side-effect of the central focus on checkpoints is that most RPUs appear to schedule the majority of checkpoints relatively close to the policing base,” it noted, reports RTE.
“If an RPU patrol is scheduled to operate three or four checkpoints each shift, that will generally leave little time for driving to more geographically remote parts of the division.
“In those locations, enforcement of traffic laws if left to ‘regular’ garda units lacking in specialist knowledge or expertise,” the report added, reports RTE.
The Crowe Report also observed “little evidence” of patrol teams receiving intelligence-led briefings targeting broader road-related crime.
An anonymous letter sent to the Commissioner’s Office in June 2023 raised concerns about RPU operations, reports RTE.
By September that year, gardaí decided on an external, independent review and drew up its scope and objectives.
Between July and November last year, the investigators visited various sites to observe how tasks are allocated, supervised, and documented, reports RTE.
They also conducted ridealongs with active RPU officers.
Rather than delving further into the extent of the problem, the report urged An Garda Síochána to focus on fixing the underlying issues with staffing, equipment, procedures, training, and accountability.
It recommended an immediate overhaul of the PALF policy, suggesting it be replaced with a more effective system to evaluate officer performance, reports RTE.
“Reporting and governance structures for Roads Policing should also be considered,” it added, reports RTE.
A dedicated garda team should be assigned to examine the issues outlined in the Crowe Report and deliver a detailed reform plan for Roads Policing within eight weeks.
The review also advised the creation of a project board to oversee this work and recommended that all identified issues be resolved within 18 to 24 months, reports RTE.
During a press briefing this morning, Assistant Commissioner for Roads Policing and Community Engagement Paula Hilman announced that a steering group—led by the deputy commissioner of policing operations—had been formed to manage the changes, according to gardaí.
Additionally, a working group under the assistant commissioner for roads policing and community engagement has been tasked with implementing the report’s recommendations, reports RTE.
Crowe engaged with roughly 100 to 120 members of An Garda Síochána during the investigation.
The identities of the six divisions visited were not disclosed in the report.
The final report was submitted to the Commissioner’s Office in March 2025, reports RTE.
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