The Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee TD, has today welcomed the tenth 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.
Minister McEntee said,
“The latest report by the Policing Authority highlights once again the crucial role played by An Garda Síochána throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and, in particular, the community policing work undertaken in support of vulnerable people, particularly those victims of domestic violence who have been supported through the vital work of Operation Faoiseamh. I would like to thank the women and men of An Garda Síochána for their continued exemplary public service.
“We are currently in a crucial period in our fight against COVID-19 and I would urge all members of the public to follow the public health guidelines that have been put in place and to follow the directions of Gardaí in support of those guidelines over the Christmas period. With the advent of vaccination, we can all look forward to better times in 2021. However, until then, we must continue to work together, adhere to the public health recommendations and take responsibility for preventing the spread of infection.”
The Authority continues to commend An Garda Síochána on the tone of the policing carried out during the pandemic, both at the level of the individual and the organisation. The Authority note that this has not only built trust, but it was also reported that the tone of policing made the necessary intrusions on the daily course of normal life somehow more acceptable.
The report recognises that An Garda Síochána understood at an early stage the unintended implications of the public health restrictions for many vulernable people and notes that Garda actions, especially under operation Faoiseamh, have provided an extra level of security to these vulnerable groups.
This is the tenth report presented by the Authority on policing performance by An Garda Síochána during the COVID-19 health crisis. The Authority were asked to assess and report regularly to the Minister on the use of the emergency regulations in order to provide additional public assurance on the appropriate and proportionate use of these powers.
The Minister added,
“I am very grateful to the Policing Authority for the valuable work they have undertaken over the course of their ten reports since April. Their reports have been an invaluable source of assurance that the exceptional powers which we have given to Gardaí over the course of the last nine months have been used appropriately and proportionately.
“This has been a vitally important task and the reports have provided a wealth of insight into the public experience of policing during this extraordinary time, and in particular those most vulnerable within our society.”
The Authority notes that despite the increased COVID-19 policing activity throughout November and December, there was only one recoded case of the use of a spit hood despite nineteen spitting assaults on Gardaí between 9 November and 14 December.