Ordinary Gardaí are being unfairly tarred with suggestions of corruption by Garda management and the media, according to the GRA.

It comes after the force announced new proposals that could see Gardaí facing random drug testing within six months.

Anyone applying for a job with the Gardaí will also face testing, alongside any member that falls under suspicion for any reason.

The testing will be carried out by the new Garda Anti-Corruption Unit (GACU) and, announcing the new policy yesterday, Chief Superintendent Johanna O’Leary said the unit had already received complaints of alleged Garda drug use.

She said the unit had also received one complaint regarding potential infiltration of the force by an organised crime group.

The head of the Garda Anti-Corruption Unit Chief Superintendent Johanna O’Leary in Kevin Street Garda Station, 01-06-2021. Image: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews

On The Hard Shoulder this evening, Brendan O’Connor, Vice-President of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) said members felt the announcement was “slightly inappropriate.”

“Corruption is something that may occur in a minor number of cases but certainly the narrative seems to be from the Garda Inspectorate and Garda management … there is a lot of commentary, a lot of publicity about this anti-corruption unit that is being rolled out,” he said.

“Some of our members feel a bit of fatigue that there are these stories coming out on an almost weekly basis that they feel are associating them with it.

“It isn’t an endemic problem. It is about preventing it and putting systems in place to prevent corruption taking place – so just our members feel there is a bit of overkill that is all.”

Corruption

He rejected claims the GRA was being “a bit fragile” about the announcement – insisting the association has a responsibility to act as the collective voice for its members.

“Our members are fatigued now with the number of news articles, stories and reports issued all with connotations associating them with this word ‘corruption,’” he said.

“There is a bit of overkill on it and we just feel it was slightly inappropriate, the manner in which it was announced.

“There is a bit of a sensationalist nature to that so certainly, we would take issue with some aspects of that.”

Drug testing

Mr O’Connor said members have no issue with the introduction of drug testing – but noted that the announcement was “very premature” given negotiations with the GRA and AGSI were not complete.

He said the GRA was also under the impression that a maximum of 5% of the force would be subject to random testing, rather than all members.

“We are kind of talking blind here,” he said.

“That is exactly the issue we have is that it was announced yesterday as a fait accompli but there is really very little detail in what was announced and we haven’t seen the procedural document as to how it would operate so that is, in a sense, what people are asking questions about.”

Gardaí who test positive for drugs will face dismissal and possible prosecution.

The AGSI has also warned that it understood just 5% of personnel would be subject to testing and has called on Garda management to "urgently re-engage staff associations in a consultation process on these very important issues."