Gardai have to google new laws they must enforce because they are not receiving on-the-job training, the President of a garda representative body has claimed.
Cormac Moylan, the President of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, made his comments as the group’s annual conference opens in Cavan.
The officer said that the lack of training in new legislation was causing gardai to search on the internet and enquire with citizen information.
He said: “A lot of serious and pressing issues here. I have 140 delegates coming down here from the 32 AGSI branches and they have serious concerns that have developed over the last 12 months.
“This is their forum, to get their issues out, issues in relation to training, the new domestic violence legislation, the new road traffic act with the Clancy law, we are still waiting for training in regard to that. Some of us are not going to get training in that until next November.
"We are accessing google and citizen information services to upskill ourselves, that is what we do.
“We are always out there trying to provide a service to the public. The most recent public attitude surveys saying the members on the ground, are absolutely meeting the public’s expectation. We are doing our best for them.”
Mr Moylan also blasted the change process inside the job claiming that gardai are being overlooked.
He explained: “We have been left in situations without any real time capacity to change. With investment and IT – I am going out to do multi-agency checkpoints and there are state agencies and they have the best of technology and equipment; we are more or less going back to the desk with the ink and quill.
“We are here to get a commitment that the funding is coming. In 2012, I was told that there is this new resource model would be rolled out in six months.
“We are now in 2019 and it is on pilot in one division. That’s not acceptable. In all modern organisations they invest in IT but we are 10 years behind.”
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However Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan denied there was a problem with training and did not agree with Mr Moylan.
He claimed: “This is a time of great challenge for An Garda Siochana.
"As Minister for Justice my responsibility is two-fold, firstly in the provision of investment and secondly to ensure that our legislation is updated and robust.
“I believe that the matter of ongoing training, whether it is continuous professional training or new training for An Garda Siochana is essential.
“I accept that the speed of how new legislation is enacted does create new obligations and practices for An Garda Siochana.
"I am satisfied, however, that the Garda service is up to ensuring that there is a proper level of training.”
