Ireland
| Author | George Kurian |
| Pages | 496-502 |
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Official country name: Ireland
Capital: Dublin
Geographic description: Occupies five-sixths of the island in the North Atlantic Sea west of Great Britain (the northern one-sixth is occupied by Northern Ireland)
Population: 4,015,676 (est. 2005)
Ireland's national police force is formally known as An Garda Síochána na hÉireann. This name, translated into English means "Guardians of the Peace of Ireland." Policing in Ireland has a rich history dating back to the eighteenth century, long before the development of An Garda Síochána na hÉireann. This tradition is highlighted by several dramatic political and organizational shifts, which have helped to bring about and shape the extremely modern and innovative police force commonly known simply as An Garda Síochána.
The first example of organized policing in Ireland was initiated with the Dublin Police Act of 1786. This act, as the name indicates, created a police force exclusively for the city of Dublin. However, during this era, most of the rest of Ireland had its policing needs met at the local level by watchmen. To serve the remainder of the country's changing policing needs, the Baronial Police (the "Old Barneys") was created in 1787. This police force, however, was ill-equipped to effectively handle anything more than minor problems, leaving serious issues to be dealt with by the military. Due to the extreme limitations on the effectiveness of the Baronial Police, especially in dealing with everyday problems at the local level, many towns continued to utilize traditional watchmen systems to address local concerns. Recognizing the problematic limitations of the Baronial Police, Sir Robert Peel (chief secretary in Ireland from 1812 until 1818) took action to create a Peace Preservation Force in 1814 to supplement the Baronial Police and provide emergency policing services for the entire country.
After Peel left his position, policing in Ireland took a new turn. Of particular importance was the passing of the Constabulary Act of 1822, which created four separate police forces, each designated to serve a specific provincial area (Armagh, Daingean, Ballinrobe, and Ballincollig). The fragmentation of Ireland's police forces, however, proved to be a temporary organizational strategy. These provincial forces were ultimately consolidated with the Constabulary Act of 1836 and were officially titled the Constabulary of Ireland. In 1867 the name of the force
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changed once again to the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC).
The latter decades of the nineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth century was a time of relative stability for the RIC. During the years leading up to and including the War of Independence (the Anglo-Irish War) between 1919 and 1922, however, everything permanently changed. During the conflict, the police were subject to frequent violent attacks, and over four hundred police officers were killed during the four-year span of the war. Upon gaining independence in 1922 and the formal establishment of the government of the Irish Free State in 1923, the RIC was disbanded and replaced by the Civic Guard. The Civic Guard was later renamed An Garda Síochána na hÉireann, a title the force continues to hold to the present day. Political conditions that characterized the era made it a tremendous challenge for An Garda Síochána to establish itself as an accepted and legitimate component of the newly independent Irish government. However, both Irish society and An Garda Síochána have come a long way since the volatile era immediately following the War of Independence. The conditions under which the force operates, for instance, have improved vastly. The Republic of Ireland is characterized by an extremely high degree of political stability and is experiencing unprecedented economic prosperity. These factors have improved conditions under which the police force operates. Moreover, An Garda Síochána enjoys a strong, exceedingly positive relationship with the Irish public, and both parties deserve credit for contributing to keeping Ireland one of the safest societies in Europe.
Ireland's present-day police force is a modern organization equipped to handle even the most complex crime problems. Through the use of available technologies, this force is capable of responding to contemporary crime problems including computer crimes, identity theft, and international and domestic terrorism. Moreover, Ireland's national police force works diligently to maintain a respected reputation in regards to the protection of human rights and consideration for racial and cultural minorities. It also maintains an active role in the international law enforcement community, participating in joint endeavors (e.g., training programs, information sharing) with the European Union (EU) and Interpol. As a result, Ireland's national police force plays an important role in the global response to transnational organized crime and threats to international security.
An Garda Síochána offers a range of professional services equivalent to virtually any police force in the EU. This is especially noteworthy considering Ireland's relatively small population size. An Garda Síochána's emphasis on professionalism through rigorous educational and training standards for all officers serves as an example to law enforcement organizations around the world. The initial investment made at the outset of each officer's career pays tremendous long-term dividends. These factors, among others, put An Garda Síochána in a position to continue to contribute to Ireland's status as of one of Europe's safest societies.
Ireland's national police force is headed by a government-appointed commissioner, Ireland's highest ranking law enforcement officer, who is responsible for overseeing all policing operations. Officers are overseen by the minister for justice, equality, and law reform. The police force is characterized by a relatively simple, albeit fragmented, organizational structure and is headquartered in Phoenix Park, Dublin, although there are numerous (over 700) decentralized police stations located throughout the country, which for law enforcement purposes is organized into six separate regions:
Eastern
Dublin Metropolitan
South Eastern
Southern
Western
Northern
Because the force provides policing services at the national, county, and local levels, effective officer deployment strategies are a vital prerequisite to the equitable administration of services. At the most basic level, most officers (Gardai) are deployed on a regional basis. Some specialists, on the other hand, work out of their respective bureaus and units, many of which are located at An Garda Síochána headquarters.
Principal agencies and divisions of the national force include:
Crime and Security
Technical Bureau
Drug Squad
Intelligence
At first glance, it appears that compared with other professionals in Ireland, An Garda Síochána officers receive competitive compensation for their services. However, there were lengthy salary negotiations in the late 1999s that resulted from officer demands for better wages. These demands culminated in a twenty-four-hour episode of the "blue flu" on May 1, 1998, when about 80% of the police force across the country called in sick in a show of force to protest the fact that salary negotiations had reached an impasse.
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A wide variety of specialized policing services are provided, each available to supplement the conventional regional police officers on an as-needed basis:
The Special Detective Unit (SDU) is designated to deal with domestic security issues, including terrorism and crimes...
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