Garda promotions system to be made transparent
A new transparent system of promotion within the Gardaí is to be introduced as part of a reform of the force, it was confirmed today.
Two key reports on reform from the Garda Siochana Inspectorate and the Garda Siochana Advisory Group have recommended new civilian posts be created at senior level and expressed concerns over the views of the promotions system.
The Minister for Justice Michael McDowell said a perception within the force that a member must be part of a specialised unit to secure promotion was concerning.
“That is a concern which has been expressed. The inspectorate has reported that is a concern which still exists in certain areas in the force. I have just in the last few days put in train the new promotions system from An Garda Siochana,” Mr McDowell said.
“That promotions system is different from the old one, a majority of the promotion committees from now on will be civilian, and they will be chaired by a civilian person and their new terms of reference require them to operate on merit only and they are specifically mandated with ensuring the best people get the jobs in An Garda Siochana regardless of where they are coming from.”
Mr McDowell said there would be a totally transparent system with clear criteria for promotion introduced.
He told RTE Radio: “To ensure those people who are in front line policing the uniform branch as they are generally called are given fair opportunities for training courses and development courses so that they through their particular aspect of policing don’t become marginalised or put into a backwater.”
Mr McDowell has insisted record resources have been put into areas in Limerick where violence has arisen between rival gang members.
The Government has been criticised over the shooting of a five-year-old boy who was hit in the thigh on Sunday evening during a drive-by shooting in the O’Malley Park area of Southill in Limerick.
“Limerick has never had as many gardaí as it does now,” Mr McDowell said. “I am saying An Garda Siochana is well on the job in Limerick it is doing its job very well. They have a spectacular success rate in terms of bringing to justice the people who engage in this form of depraved violence.”
