AGSI Calls For Review Of Garda Suspensions System

The AGSI annual conference underway in Westport County Mayo concerns are being raised around

long-term guard suspensions growing online abuse of members and increasing pressures on policing

resources.

Guards, sergeants and inspectors want the urgent introduction of independent oversize

for members suspended from the force the AGSI is making the call as it queries the process

around long-term suspensions and AGSI president Declan Higgins wants suspensions to be reviewed

independently.

The system is unfair it's about fairness and natural justice what we're calling for is

clear and structured time-bound suspension process and most importantly what we're seeking

is independent reviews and oversight of the suspension policies and what I mean by that

is if a member has been suspended for say six months or 12 months that an independent

body would come in and have a look and see why is this person still suspended.

That is the AGSI president Declan Higgins there and for more on this we're joined now by

Claire's AGSI representative the NSB's detective sergeant Brian Howard.

Brian good to speak to you and thanks for being with us and thanks very much for having me on.

So look there's quite a number of issues as opposed to that are being raised by the AGSI

and that one there the Declan Higgins is talking about independent oversize of guard suspensions

and I suppose really brought into focus in light of the recent you know penalty points fix

and case and so on. Did you and other members believe the current system is on fair to

guarantee who may ultimately be cleared around doing? Yeah and I thought this we're here in

me as our annual daily conference you know around the national executive with 165 delegates here

that will be raised in various issues but more suspension policy will be very high in

an agenda to be honest and I suppose really it's not just suspension itself it's the world

policies and the investigated process around these suspensions and I suppose it's safe to say

at this juncture that AGSI has no confidence in the current suspension policies

within on the Galaxy corner and it's calling for and what has come from some time for origin

review origin introduction of entertainment oversight for members of spend for prolonged periods

and as well we mentioned prolonged periods and death of the day of six months 12 months.

Ideally we'll be looking for a review body whether that is the pleasing authority or maybe

more ideally maybe a panel chaired by retired judge perhaps panel three to review investigations

that reach at 12 month period and just to I suppose to have something and what has been done

today with no less investigation how it is progressing and what steps are outstanding and what

is the likely timelines in relation to conclusion of this investigation and I suppose that's

where the frustration is that means these investigations that we have seen and released

high-profile cases are going on year after year after year and delegates have no knowledge or

when they're going to conclude it's just a matter of no girlfriends no accountability no kind of

clear timelines in relation to when this suspension will be concluded and if I made comparison

between our own as investigators of silence with Gardy if we're tasked with investigating

you know where's the road traffic accident or crime or whatever it is you know we are

complied to have certain timelines and you know if we go in a year or two years or three years

to investigate a fairly routine investigation we would have gathered manager at all overs

and would be subject to discipline so why even the shoes on the other foot are you know

the investigators fit through or whatever why are they not subject to the same timelines that we

as a investigating Gardy are and we are just calling on you know it's a question of governance

fairness due timely process you know what is going on at the moment is not consistent with natural

justice and it's a matter of total unfairness and it's just really about having these timelines

don't members know where they stand and long-running cases such as the one I mentioned earlier

that you know the most high profile in recent years but what kind of effect does that have on morale

within the force absolutely I mean from I mean these members' lives are you know put on hold more

less you know distress and anxiety that brings on them on their partners wise husbands

their family their children you know it's a massive you know it's own belief in more distress

and anxiety you know and their Indian known nobody knows where they're going how long they're

going to be out and as we have seen in these high profile cases you know six seven years is not

acceptable in any grounds and wouldn't be acceptable if members of the public were being treated

like this so why are we members have been subject to these prolonged periods of investigation

causing all new hardship and anxiety and stress on the members themselves and you know it has a

ripple effect and it is very deteriorating yeah another major concern which I've mentioned

already Brian that the AGSI is highlighting is online abuse calling for urgent action to

tackle the escalating targeted and vial abuse of members of Ngaardishia Kona online from your

perspective or experience how bad is this you know the AGSI saying there's been a sharp rise

in the number of R.D. reaching out for support because of online abuse what what what have you seen

anecdotally yeah I suppose there's two aspects of this social media abuse I suppose the one is a

bit more public that people would be aware of where mobile phones are shown in the face of

garden members who are just trying to carry out their duties you know and making these recordings

editing the recordings and posting them a lot of times towards the out of context you know there's

no other professional subjects at this such a frustration intimidation of mobile phones we put

in their face far people are just carrying out their duties that would be the more public side of it

I suppose the more non public side of it and and has risen over the last couple of years and

certainly the last six months to 12 months is the whole whole targeting of members online

character assassinations on specific members where members themselves are identified

their family members are identified their homes are identified their children are identified

and we have one case you know that the children the child of a member who was working

a fast-food restaurant you know the these individuals enter these premises for no other person

purpose but intimidate you know so it's it's not acceptable it's causing massive

undue and anxiety on the members and if yes we're calling on the support of government the

sports of character management guidance protection members people are in place

guardian title they exact same protections it should be entitled to exact same protections as

any other member of the public or any other employee and I know that that's around a past

commissioner carried out or initiated a policy in relation to online abuse of politicians

and we are asking on the core information of to extend this policy to include gathered members

because you know it has increased I think we've called it possibly nine or ten cases that have

in the last six months alone and you know very similar to the whole suspension policy it

causes massive anxiety to the members themselves so we're looking for cooperation the government

cooperation character management to engage more with the social media platforms to more

pull the policy in place that we have certainly more controlled because we very little at the

moment it's it's very difficult to try and get these posts backed down off off of these social media

platforms as we are we are so yeah and Brian that's my my concern about this like it is totally

understandable why guardie want this dealt with why you want commissioner curly and the government to

you know issue a clear policy in our guardie should deal with the situation and to engage with

the social media platforms but I'm just unfortunately you know previous evidence with social media

companies in relation to dealing with issues on their platforms has been on satisfactory to say

the least would you have any optimism at all that any engagement from commissioner kelly or the

government with the social media platforms will actually result in positive actions in relation to

abusive content involving members of the force yeah I suppose you will know that we met commissioner

kelly a number of weeks ago and I would have spoke to you about this and this issue one three is

a dark meeting as well and he is very cognizant of the issues and in fairness he's very

empathetic of what's going on and has undertaken to put measures in place to try and tackle this

problem and try and address the whole social media platforms and try and introduce some sort of

engagement to try and engagement to social media platforms to try and get them to insist and then

remove and this it's not happening at the moment we all know even in a private sector trying to

get these posts down on our social media platforms is arms and possibly and guardie are having

similar problems with social media partners so we are trying to insist on the government and

under commissioner will be reiterating that again today with him and the hope that he will try and

progress this for us. Brian there are other concerns that the AGSI members have around resources

police and capacity as opposed to Ireland's upcoming presidency of the EU could potentially lead

to guardie resources well ready being stretched being stretched even further I know the housing

crisis says one they're supposed nobody escapes that I'm sure that's having an impact on recruitment

or retention within the force all these issues being discussed in Westport is there what's the

feeling now in today too is there a positivity that some are all of these issues will be resolved

or at least a pathway will be laid out as to how ultimately they will be resolved or dealt with.

Yeah well with the Minister of Justice here with yesterday you know if he honest he did he did

across very positively you know he did you know sort of with our concerns that we have and

and under talk to to to try and progress then from all the recent meetings with commissioner and

I'm sure today we've been all different you know we get a very positive value from commissioner Kelly

you know he is a member of the council can move to the ranks he's aware of of the operational

challenges that are out on the ground and he's aware of the current challenges that we have in

relation to resources and as you mentioned you would presently comment up and housing crisis and

and so on so forth so there is a confidant fire there I would say that and that we we we're

a little forward to the address of the commissioner and afternoon tour delegates and hopefully that

they will sense the same positivity that we have all of our most recent meetings with him.

Okay we'll see what emerges from that but certainly the initial rumblings and your dealings

with commissioner Kelly seem to be positive. Brian a pleasure having you on to get a sense of

what's going on thanks very much. Thank you and thanks very much. Take care that is Brian Howard

and his based detective sergeant and also Claire's AGSI representative with us on Tuesday's morning