Minister Jim O'Callaghan: Defending Gardaí, Delivering Visible Policing

On behalf of the Government, I want to start by saying, Cathaoirleach, that I welcome this opportunity in the motion brought forward by the Labour Party and indeed in the Government's counter-motion to talk about the outstanding work carried out and extraordinary commitment shown on a daily basis by members of An Garda Síochána. I want to start by commending them for the work they do to protect our communities and keep us all safe. Since taking up office over a year ago, I have sought to ensure that we can deliver a vibrant and strong policing service that's highly visible in our communities. I'm committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources, technology and systems it needs to prevent crime and keep us safe. My department is delivering a complex and effective programme of policy development, legislative change and the resources needed to deliver on those commitments in every county. The criticism of An Garda Síochána by some members of this House does not reflect the very positive view of the Gardaí held by the people of Ireland. The repeated references to Garda morale being low is not supported by evidence and ignores the vibrancy and success of the organisation which the vast majority of its members are proud to serve in. The proof of this lies in the fact that the resignation rate of An Garda Síochána is approximately 1% or less per annum of attested members. That is a low number by any standard and contrasts very favourably with figures in the broader public and private sector and in particular when compared to rates experienced in the PSNI, police services in the UK and in other jurisdictions. The fact too that over 11,000 people applied to be members of An Garda Síochána last year shows that being a Garda is seen as an attractive career and a valuable way to give back to your community. There is a hugely positive central role played by members of An Garda Síochána in communities across the state. We have an admirable and long tradition of policing by consent in Ireland. That remains at the core of our policing service. It means that policing work here is done thanks to and because of the strong links that exist between Gardaí and the communities they serve. People in Ireland recognise and value those links and the positive impact the Gardaí have on people's day-to-day lives. The most recent public attitudes survey demonstrated that 88% of people who took part trust An Garda Síochána and 70% were satisfied with the service provided in their local communities. Since becoming Minister, I have been enormously impressed by the senior leadership of An Garda Síochána. They have played a pivotal role in reforming our national police service while also tackling organised crime with unprecedented results and dramatically reducing the incidence of burglaries across the state. The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, which commenced in April of last year, also provides a modern legislative structure for a police service fit for the 21st century. I want to commend the work of Commissioner Justin Kelly and the senior leadership for their work in putting the organisation on such a strong footing. His dedication and professionalism in modernising the organisation means we have a policing service we can all be proud of. As Minister, I am happy to engage with members of this House, with the Garda associations and with the Commissioner on measures that can be taken to improve our policing service. I value the important engagement I have had with the four Garda representative organisations. Commissioner Kelly has also engaged in a very comprehensive manner with the organisations and I understand he will also attend their annual conferences and will engage to resolve, as will I, any issues raised by the membership as best we can. The Government has set a high bar for an Garda Síochána in the programme for government and is making ongoing strides, along with the Commissioner and all his team, to achieve the commitments. On a daily basis, I see in our streets the commitment and dedication of the Gardaí and the work undertaken to keep us safe. Over the last decade, Gardaí have made over 1,000 arrests for organised crime offences. Many of these individuals have been prosecuted and convicted and are now off our streets. Last year, there were no gangland gun murders in Ireland for the first time in over three decades. That is not due to good fortune. It is due to the dedicated work of the Gardaí, making our country safer. They have done an excellent job in ensuring that the presence of guns in Ireland is very low. Over the same period, Operation Thor was introduced, with the aim of detecting and preventing incidents of burglary and associated criminal activity. This operation has delivered a truly remarkable drop in the number of residential burglaries of approximately 75%, particularly during winter months. This initiative continues to have a positive impact on the reduction of property crime in Ireland. A more recent development which I would like to highlight is the introduction of the high-visibility policing bans, firstly in Dublin and, lastly, in Cork and Limerick. I acknowledge the comments of colleagues from Labour Party who recognise the presence of high-visibility policing. In listening to people all over the country, what I hear most is that people want to see more Gardaí on our streets where they are most needed. This Government is committed to delivering on those commitments made to see more Gardaí on the streets. There is a high-visibility policing plan in Dublin city centre. It is going to be rolled out throughout the country. During the first six months of the rollout in Dublin, there were increased proactive policing directions for a range of detections for a range of offences. Public order offences, drunkenness, drugs for sale or supply, arrests, charges and summonses have considerably increased. At the same time, thefts and robberies have decreased. The Government and the Gardaí have demonstrated the effectiveness of this approach, and it is now being extended to Cork and Limerick and will be extended to other parts of the country as well. We all agree we need a larger Garda organisation. That is why the Government is committed to recruiting at least 5,000 new recruits by 2030. I have stated numerous times that supporting the Gardaí is my number one priority. There are, at the end of February this year, 14,529 attested Gardaí. More broadly, the overall Garda workforce has increased from 15,980 in 2016 to 18,276 in 2026. 2,287 people have entered the Garda College since it reopened in 2022 after the pandemic. Just under 800 trainees entered the Garda College in 2025, the highest number since 2018. In the first intake of this year, 215 recruits entered Templemore. This is the third intake in a row with over 200 recruits. This is making a difference. As more Gardaí are trained, as the organisation grows, Garda management will have greater resources to increase the numbers allocated to specialist units. While the training college in Templemore will always be the primary centre for training Gardaí, we can all acknowledge its capacity limitations. That is why work is underway to increase capacity there in the short term, with the support of the OPW. It is anticipated that additional facility capacity will become available this year, providing capacity for a total of 500 Gardaí trainees on site. Much of our focus is on the work of the Gardaí, but we must remember that ensuring people are safe and feel safe requires a broader response. That is apparent in terms of the local community policing partnerships that have been rolled out. There has been public discourse regarding Garda discipline and suspensions. It has been raised by colleagues from the Labour Party and I want to address this. I must be mindful that some matters have been before the courts and that internal Garda discipline is under the Commissionerís remit, so I will not comment on individual matters. It is critical to acknowledge that the vast majority of Gardaí serve with integrity and do their duty with commitment and dedication. Public confidence in the Garda Síochána depends on Gardaí demonstrating the highest level of personal and professional standards of behaviour. At the end of January, there were 101 members of the Gardaí on suspension. That represents just 0.6% of the total number of Gardaí in the state. I will also stress that a suspension from duty is not a finding of guilt or wrongdoing. Suspension is a step in the process. It is not the final judgment. It is a mechanism to ensure public confidence in the police service while any allegations are investigated. There are robust procedures in place to allow the Commissioner to deal with any allegations of misconduct in a proper manner. I brought forward regulations last April to give effect to that. There are now separate regulations for dealing with misconduct as opposed to performance as well. We have also streamlined investigations for Fisher. However, I want to say that the criminal justice system and the law apply to everyone. Wearing a Gardaí uniform does not grant anyone immunity from proper scrutiny, investigation or prosecution. Equally, the fact that a person who may be accused of a criminal offence is a member of the Gardaí is not, in and of itself, a finding of guilt. Our system operates on the presumption of innocence, and that applies to everyone, be they a member of the public or a member of the Gardaí. Anyone who is brought before the courts has the right to defend themselves and their reputation. That is the system operating in the proper, independent manner. It is not open to me, as Minister, to intervene in investigations or the deliberations of the DPP, and certainly not in the operation of the courts. Our system is designed to be a set of independent yet interlinked bodies with defined roles and responsibilities, so that political intervention or interference in the administration of justice cannot occur. Calls for independent inquiries for every single court case brought against Gardaí cannot become the norm, particularly in cases where the accused have been subject to prosecution, have had access to a defence, and have been acquitted by a jury of their peers. It particularly cannot be the norm within a system like that which we are lucky to enjoy, where I am proud to serve, where the administration of justice is conducted openly and transparently. We are rightly proud of the relationship that the Gardaí have with the public in this country, and we need to maintain that. That trust has taken many years to build up, and I will not allow it to be damaged, and I want to ensure that the Gardaíí economy goes from success to success. For more UN videos visit www.un.org