The Policing and Community Safety Authority (PCSA) has carried out a review of the recommendations made in the 2020 Garda Síochána Inspectorate report on Countering the Threat of Internal Corruption.
It positively recognises progress by An Garda Síochána in a number of areas, notably in the formation and resourcing of a Garda Anti-Corruption Unit (GACU), the introduction of policies addressing issues of the abuse of power for sexual gain, the definition of professional boundaries, and the prohibition of acceptance of gifts from covert human intelligence sources (CHIS).
There has also been some progress in the areas of in-service vetting and substance misuse testing, but this cannot proceed further without legislation.
Vetting police personnel on an ongoing basis and randomly testing them for drugs or alcohol are standard practices in police services in other jurisdictions, so the delay in its implementation in Ireland is surprising.
PCSA report – Countering the Threat of Internal Corruption
The review found that gardaí have still not adopted a policy or developed the technology to enable surveillance to prevent and detect the misuse of its IT systems.
There remain concerns around the effectiveness of the Gifts, Hospitality and Sponsorship Policy. Positively, there has been a reduction in the number of personnel accepting gifts of alcohol, although such gifts are still being accepted as part of fundraising work.
However, gifts, hospitality and sponsorship received are not being appropriately recorded and published. Senior officers and garda staff are approving the acceptance of gifts that are in contravention of the policy.
A survey to assess the level of understanding of the risk of corruption was conducted as part of the PCSA review across a small number of garda divisions and two trainee intakes. Among the findings, it found that 96% would report wrongdoing and 83% support in-service vetting.
While the full or partial implementation of 19 recommendations represents significant progress, continued implementation of the remaining recommendations is essential to providing reassurance to all stakeholders that dealing with the threat of corruption within An Garda Síochána continues to be prioritised at all levels throughout the organisation.
Key Messages:
Of 34 recommendations in the 2020 report, 56% have been either implemented or partially implemented.
Significant progress has been made with the establishment of the Garda Anti-Corruption Unit and policies on the abuse of power for sexual gain, professional boundaries and the prohibition on acceptance of gifts or hospitality from covert human intelligence sources (CHIS).
A survey conducted of gardaí showed 96% would report wrongdoing and 83% would support in-service vetting.
Substance misuse testing is in place for new garda applicants, but not yet for serving personnel, which needs legislation.
Legislation is also required to enable in-service vetting.
Over 50% of gifts and hospitality accepted with the approval of Chief Superintendents, Principal Officers and above are in contravention of the policy. These included tickets for pop concerts and sporting events.
Commenting on the report, PCSA Chairperson Elaine Byrne said:
“Given the powers that police have and the nature of the work they do, the potential for corruption is a feature of police services in all jurisdictions.
“An Garda Síochána recognises this is also true in Ireland and has made some significant changes in recent years to prevent the threat of corruption.
“Our review shows that significant progress has been made, perhaps the most important being to normalise anti-corruption as a necessary area of focus for all personnel.
“A big concern I have is the lack of legislation for ongoing and routine in-career vetting and drug testing – I think these are elements of a modern police service that the public should rightly expect to be in place.”
The report will be discussed at this week’s meeting in public between the Authority and the Garda Commissioner at the Grand Hotel in Malahide on Thursday 26 February at 2.30pm.