Justice

Policing Authority spending less than half of northern counterpart

The Policing Authority released its annual report for 2021, its fifth year in operation after it was founded in 2016.

Among the more notable figures in the Policing Authority’s annual report is that it estimates itself to have spent €3.3 million in 2021, a figure less than half of that of its northern counterpart, the Policing Board, which spent £6.6 million (€7.6 million) in 2021 according to its own annual report.

The Policing Authority is an independent statutory body with key roles of scrutinising and overseeing the performance of the Garda Síochána in the provision of policing services in Ireland. It was established on 1 January 2016 by the enactment of the Garda Síochána (Policing Authority and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2015 which amends the Garda Síochána Act 2005.

Scrutinising the Gardaí

The Policing Authority set itself a task of implementing 12 strategic objectives, set out in the strategy statement for implementation between the years 2019 and 2021.

On the establishment of an effective framework for An Garda Síochána, the report states that this has been achieved through the publication of the Policing Authority’s strategy, Policing Priorities 2022-2024, the process of which involved a month-long public consultation process and the undertaking of research on matters relating to policing nationally and internationally.

It further states that it has “further developed and extended stakeholder engagement approach to inform oversight work, human rights and equality and assessment of Garda performance”.

The Police Authority additionally focused oversight on key areas including: drug related policing; the inappropriate cancellation of CAD/999 calls; the response to sexual offences and domestic abuse; human rights; and Garda integrity.

Modernisation of the Gardaí

Modernisation is something which the report states was progressed by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, as more remote working with subsequent new technologies was required.

The Policing Authority states that: “The Authority’s Garda Síochána Organisation Development Committee addressed progress made by the Garda Síochána in relation to key themes of Garda integrity, human resources, governance and infrastructure.”

It further evaluates that it “considered progress by the Garda Síochána in the implementation of a range of strategies including the information and technology vision, the diversity and integration strategy and the equality, diversity, and integration strategy”, as well as engaging with the Garda Síochána in the area of anti-corruption and the progression of its second cultural audit.

The report further outlines that the authority “continued to oversee the implementation of the operating model, engaged on a quarterly basis with the Central Implementation Team and held five meetings with divisional operating model teams”.

“The Authority’s Garda Síochána Organisation Development Committee addressed progress made by the Garda Síochána in relation to key themes of Garda integrity, human resources, governance and infrastructure.”

Public engagement on policing

Looking at the Policing Authority’s Communications Work Plan 2021, the main achievement pointed to in the report is the engagement with key stakeholders to inform the Authority’s oversight work.

The report states that this involved an expanded programme of engagement with 46 stakeholder groups and organisations on their experience of policing to inform the Authority’s assessment of police performance during the pandemic, as well as policing in general. The report further states that it “reached out in particular to groups representing the vulnerable members of our community and those whose voices and views are seldom heard”.

Further actions included an outreach campaign on the media which, although achieved, had no metric outlined in the report as to what defines success or what the levels of public awareness and engagement were.

The report further details the role played by joint policing committees with An Garda Síochána “in a way that facilitates crime prevention and improved safety and quality of life for citizens”.

The future of the Policing Authority

The Policing Authority’s role is likely to change in the coming years, as the Department of Justice is currently drafting legislation to implement the recommendations of the report of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland.

There are currently plans for a new Policing and Community Safety Authority (PCSA) will be established by a merger of the Policing Authority and the Garda Inspectorate. Until such time as the PCSA is established, the Policing Authority’s existing statutory functions and oversight role will continue.

The report has measured the access of the Police Authority against its strategic objectives and its four desired outcomes.

Helen Hall, Chief Executive of the Police Authority, said in the report: “Work began in 2021 to determine, in consultation with staff, the future workplace model and significant progress was made to deliver the IT, cultural, HR and structural changes that would be needed for this change to be successful.”

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