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Report into cancelled 999 calls says supervision of gardaí 'not followed or not effective'

The report says the controversy suggests that supervision and performance management of gardaí is “weak”.

THE INDEPENDENT REPORT into the controversy surrounding gardaí cancelling more than 200,000 emergency 999 calls says that supervision of officers was either not followed or not effective.

An internal garda review previously said that more than 200,000 calls were cancelled over a two-year period between 2019 and 2020. 

The external examination was published by the Policing Authority today.

It notes that the training gardaí receive in call taking and dispatch is extensive, and members should have understood the limited circumstances when incidents could be cancelled.

It says policies and procedures were in place that should have identified unwarranted cancelled incidents.

“This would suggest that supervision, quality assurance checks and procedures for the performance management of individuals within regional control rooms and local stations were either not followed or not effective,” the report reads.

The document notes that the discovery of additional non-compliant incidents even after it came to national attention that hundreds of thousands of calls had been cancelled suggests that the level of supervision, quality assurance checks and the performance management of officers within the regional control rooms is “weak”.

“This presents a serious ongoing risk to the Garda Síochána,” the report says.

The Policing Authority commissioned the report as part of the ongoing investigation into the cancelled calls.

It is meeting Garda Commissioner Drew Harris later today to discuss the findings and recommendations in the report. 

The report was authored by Derek Penman, a former assistant chief constable of Police Scotland who has over 34 years policing experience.

Penman notes that the absence of call recording at local stations is a “serious vulnerability”.

The issue is made more acute by the lack of safeguards to ensure that all incidents are recorded and appropriately managed.

The document notes that there were cancelled incidents where gardaí responded and provided a service to victims. However, in some cases, officers requested dispatchers to cancel incidents and avoided following-up. 

There were also incidents where the information provided by callers was not accurately recorded. This meant gardaí were dispatched to the wrong locations, and callers could not be re-contacted.

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    Mute Nick
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    Nov 30th 2021, 12:10 PM

    Sadly I believe the general perception of our garda is of a largely inefficient and disinterested force, which is sadly true IMHO.

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    Mute John D
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    Nov 30th 2021, 1:26 PM

    @Nick: The perception of gardai has little to do with reality. There has been a political will to undermine the gardai for almost two decades now. That manifests itself in the mainstream press on an almost daily basis.
    My experience of dealing with gardai has been largely positive as has that of most of the people I know. Though unlike some I don’t walk into a garda station expecting miracles. Certainly rank and file gardai Atleast deserve a lot more respect than they currently get from some in Irish society though there are usually agendas at play when gardai are being criticised.
    Every organisation has bad eggs. The average person in ireland probably thinks many gardai are under investigation right now because of the amount of press they get. In reality very few are and they are usually cleared not because of a corrupt system but because they’ve done nothing wrong. If every other organisation was subject to the same scrutiny I would think similar issues and perhaps even greater (or far greater) numbers of problems would arise.
    People also need to remember that the gardai are investigated by and accountable to a number of politically appointed bodies who receive high volumes of press every time they do or say anything negative about the gardai and usually before anything is past the allegation stage let alone proven.
    People need to support the gardai instead of moaning about them online, recording them etc if they truly want the service to improve.
    Comments like the one above are typical of entitled people who feel the need to do nothing all day except point fingers.
    Maybe people should stop saying “what are you doing?” and start saying “what am I doing?”. It might lead to a happier existence…

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    Mute Jim Harrington
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    Nov 30th 2021, 1:41 PM

    @John D: Well said John D

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    Mute Liam Byrne
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    Nov 30th 2021, 5:19 PM

    @John D:
    A few bad eggs? The garda commissioner framed a garda sergeant, accusing him of being a Peadophile, where is he now?

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    Mute Epgenetics29 Declan Christoph
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    Nov 30th 2021, 5:35 PM

    @John D: I’ll raise your singular experience and throw in 100s of the above calls, money missing from station (drugs as well) McCabe, rugby, press and politicians having points dismissed, donegal corruption, phones of commissioners going missing, a 14 year old child being beaten for walking down the road etc. The Garda have so many issues is it any wonder confidence is low. I feel sorry for the few good apples but to say that the force is good is questionable at best. Stinks in all ranks, needs to be reformed with a bulldozer. There is huge problems in the force and it needs to be spoke about as change will never materialize or be acted upon. Call it what it is ’a mess’ sometimes their fault but mostly politicians for using them and doing nothing in the other hand.

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    Mute Eugene Comaskey
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    Nov 30th 2021, 5:38 PM

    @John D: Your points are very well made and very true . Of course those who continually run down the Guards an complain have an agenda. Firstly, I acknowledge that there are some lazy people in the Organization,- they are spread around in every Division ,– just as there are Lazy workers All over the Public Service . There are also some who can become compromised, and do wrong,- as happens in other Organizations too. But 99% are determined to do the right thing and do it to the best of their ability .

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    Mute Neil Neart
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    Nov 30th 2021, 12:29 PM

    Where is the accountability when Garda Commissioners, Ministers for Justice and Secretary Generals and senior civil servants in Dept of Justice (and the rest) can retire on full pension at any time? Ireland is run by a self entitled, self supporting ruling class wrapped up in the disguise of a Republic?

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    Mute Peter
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    Nov 30th 2021, 12:38 PM

    @Neil Neart:

    They can’t retire on full pension at any time. There’s specific lengths of service before you can retire on a full pension, which by the way is paid into, too.

    (Just like those who don’t realise that a teacher’s salary in the summer is deducted throughout the year to pay for that)

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    Mute Mary Nugent
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    Nov 30th 2021, 12:55 PM

    @Neil Neart: even get free legal aid madness.

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    Mute Neil Neart
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    Nov 30th 2021, 12:58 PM

    @Peter: Of course there are periods of service and there is the facility for pension top ups to “get rid of without public disclosure” or “washing of dirty laundry”. Any fair minded person knows exactly what retire at any time means in the context of the article and the comment. Nit picking contributes nothing to public debate.

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    Mute Jim Harrington
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    Nov 30th 2021, 1:36 PM

    @Peter: Not until they have done 35 years in job

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    Mute Jim Harrington
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    Nov 30th 2021, 1:40 PM

    @Mary Nugent: I am quite certain Gardai would love to see Free Legal Aid abolished,people might not be so quick to go to court if it was,it’s a joke that Free Legal Aid even exists

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    Mute Eoin Jackson
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    Nov 30th 2021, 3:00 PM

    @Jim Harrington: a joke that everyone, no matter their background or socio-economic situation, has a constitutional right to defend themselves? Really? A joke? Ok then… maybe we should save the expense of the trial too while we are at. If the gardai suspect you strongly enough, straight to prison. Sure that would be even more cost efficient and a bigger deterrent to crime would it not? Some people on here need to think before they type.

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    Mute Eugene Comaskey
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    Nov 30th 2021, 5:48 PM

    @Neil Neart: But why pick on Dept. of Justice and people employed there. Just look at the Vast amounts of money that are being paid out every week to Children that have been damaged at Birth . Is there anyone Ever held accountable there ??, Do Doctors, Surgeons, Consultants , or anyone else EVER face Sanctions . ??? . HSE will bring Unfortunate Parents all the way to the steps of the High Court, then make a settlement — mostly without admission of wrong . This to me is a far bigger scandal on an ongoing basis .

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    Mute Jim Harrington
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    Nov 30th 2021, 1:20 PM

    Gardai work under terrible conditions,12 to 15 hour shifts which are illegal,where is health and safety,they do not have typists so every incident has to be written out by hand twice and sometimes 3 times,to satisfy our antiqueted justice system,there union GRA may as well not be there ,Gardai were one of the last frontline staff to get Vaccinated ,shame on Drew Harris who doesn’t care about his staff and also the Justice Minister,bet they won’t get the booster, Our media should investigate how our Gardai are treated,but it wouldn’t sell enough Papers it would make interesting viewing on Prime Time investigates,but then Gardai are silenced and cannot speak out,now I do not agree with the corruption that has gone on.

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    Mute slfc21
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    Nov 30th 2021, 2:44 PM

    @Jim Harrington: wouldn’t rely on the media. They closed the comments last week on the articles about assaults on gardai and mental health withing gardai. Happy to open it though when there is anything negative. The only number used in this is 200k . A hyperbole. No break down of what shouldn’t and shouldn’t of been cancelled etc.

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    Mute Terry Cahill
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    Nov 30th 2021, 1:16 PM

    Stick to the subject ! No trust in Gardai anymore to carry out their duties responsibly.

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    Mute Jim Harrington
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    Nov 30th 2021, 2:28 PM

    Wonder if they checked how many of these 999 calls were the same person ringing on several occasions at the time of the incident , which happens and is understandable, this would account for many cancelled 999 calls

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    Mute slfc21
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    Nov 30th 2021, 2:46 PM

    @Jim Harrington: this was released to the media by the PA before an audit was even complete and an apology given by the commissioner before it was even investigated. When that happens the initial statement which is often false or inflated will stick out in the minds of everyone and the true story or result won’t matter to most.

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Nov 30th 2021, 4:13 PM

    @Jim Harrington: Christ your really clutching at straws.

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    Mute Ger O'Reilly
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    Nov 30th 2021, 3:24 PM

    When it comes to the public sector there is little or no accountability. What normal rational person could ever think that cancelling an emergency call was acceptable.

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    Mute John Johnes
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    Nov 30th 2021, 3:46 PM

    If it was nordic country , Germany or France – the whole department would get sacked along with the management.

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    Mute Albert Brennerman
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    Nov 30th 2021, 7:55 PM

    What decade is the call taking system from…1980….1990…2000…2010
    Not one mention here ? Maybe the PA should be investigated.itself.
    Emperor has no cltohes Brigade, its probably 605 of the issue.

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