Despite threats, online abuse, private information being shared and uncertainty about prosecution over high-speed pursuits, gardaí would still cautiously recommend the career to young people.
Members of the force attending the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) annual conference in Co Mayo on Tuesday said officers were facing a number of increasingly virtual threats.
“A lot of colleagues of mine would receive messages via Facebook, messages on TikTok – threatening messages,” Ciaran Diffily, a community engagement inspector in Ballina, told The Irish Times.
“I have also seen pictures of houses [of gardaí] being posted online as well.”
READ MORE
Despite this, Diffily had no hesitation in recommending a career in the Garda for young people. He said younger gardaí were often better at limiting their exposure online through the use of privacy settings.
For Diffily, the variety is the main appeal. “No two days are the same, and you can get to work in so many different areas. Recently, it has become an organisation that recognises talent, nurtures it and will develop it.”
He cited concern around the pension for those who might see the Garda as a lifelong career. Significant reductions to the Garda pension for members recruited after 2013 are an “obvious concern”, he said.
Speaking at the conference, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said he was in discussions with the Government to change the law to ensure gardaí would only face prosecution for their driving during pursuits in very exceptional circumstances.
A new two-tier system would mean that an offence committed by a Garda member in their duty would need to be much worse than a road-traffic crime by a member of the public before a prosecution would take place.
The proposal has emerged after the AGSI said there was “shock” across the Garda force after a Dublin-based garda was convicted of dangerous driving.
Following the conviction, the prospect of consequences for their personal and professional driving weighed on the minds of gardaí assessing pursuits.
These concerns were voiced by many at the conference, who raised the issue among others that gave them pause for thought on the question of a career in the force.
“The decision now has to be taken from the garda driving that car, because we can see people are getting prosecuted for doing the job. That’s not fair,” said Rory Brennan, a sergeant based in Louisburgh, Co Mayo.
He said the situation could “deter people from joining the job”, but was resolute in saying he would not put people off.
“If you want to be a garda, you should be one. I would never stop my children from joining,” he said – though the excitement of driving with the siren on does not last forever.
Niamh Connaughton, a Garda sergeant in Tallaght, Dublin would “absolutely” recommend the career. She said the sense of family among members of An Garda Síochána was one of the most positive elements of the role.
Support structures for gardaí have “come a long way” in recent years, she explained. “We are starting to look after our members a lot more.”
Connaughton said gardaí were being “targeted online” with doxxing, the publication of personal details online, becoming a regular threat to members of the force.
She said more protections for their families were needed. The conference heard a motion calling for the removal of garda addresses from court filings to protect their families from abuse.
