The Policing and Community Safety Authority (PCSA) held its latest meeting in public with the Garda Commissioner at the Richmond Education and Event Centre in Dublin on Thursday 31 July.
The meeting opened with a discussion between the Authority and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris on the public consultation for the Policing Priorities 2026–2028, which was carried out in May and June of this year.
Authority members also raised questions on some key topics, including individual performance management.
This was with reference to the recent independent review on roads policing, commissioned by An Garda Síochána and received by the Authority in June.
This independent reports sets out a grim picture of significant inconsistency in terms of the productivity and level of activity of roads policing members.
The meeting then moved on to discuss the garda response to calls for service, as well as large-scale event planning, including the EU Presidency in the latter half of 2026.
The final item for discussion was domestic abuse with questions focused on the first contact for victims with gardaí and the response of garda members to reports of abuse.
In his final meeting with the Authority, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris reflected on his seven years in the role and the future challenges for policing, before congratulating his successor Justin Kelly.
The meeting was streamed live and is now available to watch on the PCSA YouTube channel.
The next meeting in public between the PCSA and incoming Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly will take place on Thursday 25 September.