The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, has today welcomed the thirteenth report from the Policing Authority on the performance by An Garda Síochána of its policing role in the support of the COVID-19 public health restrictions. This report marks one year of reporting on COVID policing.
In welcoming the report, Minister McEntee said:
“I am grateful to the Policing Authority for the valuable work they have undertaken over the course of the last year. The reports on the performance of An Garda Síochána in policing the public health regulations have provided an independent and transparent assessment of the Garda response to supporting the pandemic response.
“Thanks to the work of the Authority, we can all be confident that An Garda Síochána will continue to serve our communities, continue to employ the graduated response which has achieved so much, and continue to adapt.”
Over the course of the pandemic, the Policing Authority have maintained contact with a broad cross-section of civil society organisations to gauge the reception and attitude to An Garda Síochána and the public health guidelines. In preparing the current report, the Policing Authority have engaged with Joint Policing Committee chairpersons, migrant groups, domestic abuse support groups and student representatives.
Minister McEntee continued:
“There is much from the Policing Authority’s reports that will inform the future direction of policing in Ireland and much to reflect upon for maintaining and enhancing the public confidence across all communities that has been garnered during the pandemic.
“I welcome the very valuable work that An Garda Síochána has undertaken in reaching out to vulnerable victims of domestic abuse and I acknowledge the very real challenges for Garda members in maintaining that public confidence during this prolonged period of public health restrictions.
“As well as highlighting the good work which will improve policing responses even after the pandemic has passed, such as in the area of domestic, sexual and gender based violence, the Policing Authority also plays a vital role in assessing where An Garda Síochána can do better. In particular, the latest report cites the experiences of some in our migrant and student communities.
“However, I have seen how Gardaí have constantly addressed the challenges, how they have adapted and how they have been resilient in delivering for the public in the face of risk and uncertainly. I would like to thank the women and men of An Garda Síochána for their continued exemplary public service.”
ENDS
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
- Since the last report to the Minister, 7,405 Fixed Charge Notices (FCNs) have been issued bringing total FCNs issued up to 15 April to 20,242.
- People leaving their homes without a reasonable excuse is the largest reason for issuing FCNs, accounting for 72.4% (14,650) of the total.
- It is worth noting that the while these account for the vast majority of FCNs issued, An Garda Síochána have stated that these are frequently issued to those travelling to or returning from house parties and similar gatherings.
- Approximately 4.0% (803) were issued to organisers of events, in both non-dwelling and dwellings, while a further 14.1% (2,855) were issued to those who attended events in dwellings only.
- Non-wearing of face coverings accounted for 1.7% (341).
- The proportion of FCNs issued for breaches related to international travel increased. FCNs for non-essential international travel accounted for 5.9% (1,186) while fines for persons travelling into to the state who are not ordinarily resident accounted for 2.0% (407).
- In addition to issuing FCNs, members of the Garda Síochána have reported using their powers 1,702 times since 8 April 2020. This is an increase of 279 since the Authority’s last report which, specifically with regard to the use of powers, covered the period up to 10 April.