Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has said he is very disappointed with the Garda Representative Association's vote of no confidence in his leadership, describing it as "a kick in the teeth" and "a bitter blow".
Nearly 11,000 ballot papers were sent out to rank and file gardaí. The vote of no confidence was passed by 98.7% in favour to 1.3% against.
Speaking to the media at the annual conference of the Association of Garda Superintendents, Mr Harris said: "I'm hugely disappointed, it does feel like a real kick in the teeth."
However, Mr Harris said he would not resign over the non-binding ballot.
He said: "That would be a completely illogical response to the situation."
Mr Harris said the vote was personalised against him in the way it was framed, but he insisted he would not extend the present roster and a different roster would be introduced as planned in seven weeks.
He also said there was no comparison between his position and that of the former PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne, who resigned after a vote of no confidence by rank and file officers in Northern Ireland.
Mr Harris said that the issues of discipline and the suspension of gardaí had not been raised with him in correspondence, but cases had been reviewed and found to be valid.
This afternoon, the Policing Authority said the commissioner continues to have its "full and unwavering confidence".
Chairman Bob Collins said that the GRA's vote of confidence does not advance the issues of service delivery or the garda roster, which he said would more appropriately be dealt with through the established industrial relations structures.
Shock at vote margin
The vote result may have been expected, but the GRA said it was shocked by the margin.
The GRA said the outcome vindicated the decision to hold the vote and declared it a very sad day for policing.
Brendan O'Connor, GRA president, said the vote was "not personal" or directed at Mr Harris as an individual.
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, Mr O'Connor said that Commissioner Harris is the person in the "number one seat," who makes the decisions and is accountable to the oversight mechanisms and the minister.
He said the fact Mr Harris stated he thought the GRA members were confused is "patronising" and "insulting" to say the members did not understand a simple question that was asked of them.
Speaking on the same programme, Pa Daly, Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Justice, said the vote is an important reflection of the mood within An Garda Síochána.
He said the difficulty is that gardaí feel they are not being listened to, and a renegotiation of the roster must take place.
The GRA also said the Government now needs to intervene and criticised the Minister for Justice for not meeting the association since her return from maternity leave in June.
The GRA described this as a pivotal moment, the first ever vote of no confidence in a Garda Commissioner in the organisation's 100-year history. It said members would inform it as to the next step at its special delegate conference in two weeks' time.
Govt support for Harris
The Minister for Justice said it is "regrettable" that rank-and-file members had voted overwhelmingly to express no confidence in Commissioner Harris.
Helen McEntee said she has "full support" in the commissioner.
Speaking to reporters at the conference in Naas, Ms McEntee said: "His position is tenable. I have over full support in the commissioner as does this Government.
"I believe this vote was taken in the midst of an industrial relations dispute, I think that's reflected in the outcome of the vote."
Ms McEntee said she disagreed with the "highly personal" approach by the GRA over the vote, adding it left her "in a position not able to meet with them".
Asked when she would next meet the GRA, the minister said she was "happy to meet with them whenever it's appropriate".
She said the issue of rosters is not the responsibility of any minister but encouraged the unions to engage with internal and State dispute resolution mechanisms over the matter.
She added: "I fully believe that this can be resolved."
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar also expressed confidence in the commissioner, while the Garda Senior Management Team restated its full confidence in Commissioner Harris.
The leadership team, which comprises deputy and assistant commissioners, along with the organisation's executive directors this morning circulated a message to all garda members re-iterating "its united support and confidence in Commissioner Harris' professional and fair leadership of An Garda Síochána".
It added: "The commissioner’s commitment to the welfare of garda personnel, to protecting communities, and keeping the public and the State safe is evident from the many improvements introduced over the last five years with the co-operation of members of An Garda Síochána and garda staff.
"From his first day in the role, Commissioner Harris has continually emphasised the importance of An Garda Síochána maintaining its proud tradition of community-focused policing."
The Garda Senior Leadership Team meets weekly with Mr Harris to discuss and decide on a range of organisational and operational matters.
Commissioner attending superintendents conference
The commissioner and the minister attended the Association of Garda Superintendents conference in Co Kildare.
Senior officers are also concerned about recruitment and said the organisation is "creaking from the absence of a coherent and realistic personnel recruitment stream".
Association President Superintendent Seamus Nolan said it is not lost on them that the increase in the country’s population is being addressed by an increase in elected public representatives in the wake of the current review by the electoral commission.
He has called on Minister McEntee to "recruit forward, not retrospectively".
Supt Nolan pointed to a crisis in the Garda Band and claims "the dissolution of our proud flagship, the ever reliable face of community engagement, (is) happening before our eyes".
The superintendents described the band as "the envy of innumerable police organisations worldwide", adding that "their place in Irish society is cemented in their unique identity, their affinity with the wider public and the communities".
However, they said it is badly affected by the recruitment failings, is only at "half strength," is in danger of being unable to operate and is "irreplaceable".
The superintendents also said that while many of the issues cited as being crisis situations are caused by political decision making, in the absence of consideration of policing consequences or public concern, it is gardaí who are called upon to address the fallout and the public outcries.
"An Garda Síochána is being incessantly held to account for societal issues which have been created and exasperated by Government policy and local political decisions," Supt Nolan said.
Garda superintendents complain that they must pay for travel and subsistence, including motor fuel and accommodation costs, out of their own pockets in an increasingly inflated marketplace without being appropriately recompensed.
They claim they are continuing to spend about twice what they can recover.
They also said the current operating model is diluting resources "beyond breaking point" without adequate financial, accommodation or personnel and they are also calling for "an actual policing presence" on the new board the Government plans to introduce.
