Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has rejected the validity of the "no confidence" ballot recently held by the Garda Representative Association (GRA).
Speaking to Prime Time, Commissioner Harris said it is not something he should be subject to.
"I'm not a politician. I'm a commissioner leading a police service."
He said that the GRA vote result due in mid-September is not "the mechanism by which my performance is measured."
"My performance is measured in terms of the efficiency and effectiveness of the Garda Síochána," he said.
However, he describes the unprecedented vote as "an extraordinary thing" and "a very unnecessary step" taken by the GRA.
He says it will "resolve none of the issues" which lie behind the vote, including the main one, which is a dispute about gardaí returning to a pre-pandemic roster. This will require members to work six days in row instead of the current four days.
The commissioner reiterated that he would be staying in his role, regardless of any negative vote by GRA members, to deliver the programme of reform set out in the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland report published in 2018.
"This is about the modernisation of the of An Garda Síochána to meet the change in demands of this society. So, a lot of what has been ‘aired’ in respect of this vote is in respect of the reform program" Mr Harris said.
Morale concerns
Commissioner Harris, who took up the role in 2018, also rejected claims that there are very significant issues with morale within the force.
In response to a question on the issue from Prime Time presenter Sarah McInerney, he said: "I don't find that morale is on the floor. Yes, there are things they would like to see changed. Yes, as an organisation, we want to do things better with them."
"I accept that this is a job with challenges, and I'm very alive to what those challenges are. I'm very aware of the various issues that are being raised and what we can do as an organisation to relieve the various points of pressure," Mr Harris said.
The commissioner says he will instead be measured on his record on solving and a preventing crime.
Dublin crime levels
Asked about a spate of attacks in recent weeks in Dublin, including against tourists, he said that Dublin is not a dangerous city.
"The statistics show us that assaults in [Dublin] city centre are down on what they were last year and they're down on where they were in 2019. So, the picture of a city which is entirely lawless is wrong," Mr Harris said.
"I believe actually that Dublin is a safer city than either Paris or London in terms of the crime that happens and the general amount of incidents there is on the street."
Following the recent attacks, a plan for increased visibility of policing in Dublin city centre was announced.
Commissioner Harris said that will include "some 77 gardaí per day, supported by 11 sergeants in terms of supervision for this period, right up to December."
Read more: Blue Flight: Three former guards speak about leaving the force
Staffing and retention
That may address issues in the capital, but according to GRA representatives, major issues for rank-and-file gardaí relate to low staffing levels within stations and divisions nationwide. They say, it’s one of the many reasons why their members are leaving – sometimes soon after taking up the job.
Responding to Department of Justice figures, which show marked increase in garda resignations, Commissioner Harris told Prime Time it is "of concern."
He accepts that there is "a concentration of those who have recently joined the organisation" who are resigning.
"We don't want anybody that we've invested in, and trained, that have skills, to actually leave the organisation. Some find that demands are too much for them, and you have to respect that."
Speaking about concerns about the number of recruits joining the force, Commissioner Harris said that Ireland’s "full employment" economy and the "aggressive advertising" by overseas forces, like the Western Australia Police Force, are contributing to the problem.
"We lost a huge amount of opportunity to recruit people through Covid because our training college was closed down, and we had to - in effect - restart all of that recruitment," he said.
Commissioner Harris says the pipeline of those in training is improving and he has made a submission to the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee with proposals "on both retirement and joining the age, and also in respect of allowances and other terms and conditions."
Technology and IT systems
Speaking about the lack of CCTV viewing equipment in some garda stations, as raised by a former guard with Prime Time, the commissioner admitted it is a problem.
"I'm entirely aware of the frustrations that that garda has represented, and we are seeking the legislation to allow us a ‘digital evidence management’ system."
It is needed, he says, to allow officers to "receive evidence, such as CCTV, such as GoPro footage, such as dashcam footage, and receive that in a way that we could protect it then as evidential material for criminal prosecutions."
Watch: Luke Staines speaks about his decision to leave the Gardaí
However, he rejected criticisms from other former garda members about inefficiencies caused by the incident recording system, PULSE. It was introduced over 20 years ago.
"Every quarter there's a further update of the PULSE system. So, it is a modern system, and we respond to the feedback that we received from members, but it's there for a very specific purpose."
It is not a surprise that PULSE goes down on occasion, he said.
"That is us carrying out the necessary updates and, in effect, maintaining the system. It's a large system, it covers the whole country, and obviously then it needs maintenance."
"What we are about actually is making sure that we provide a professional service and part of that is keeping a proper record of our dealings with the public," Mr Harris said.
Reform plans
The Commissioner says he is determined to deliver on his brief and will not be leaving his post.
"I'm employed to do a job, employed to deliver on a reform program, the government reform program from the Commission of the Future of Policing."
"We're well into the third decade of the 21st century, and this is about the modernisation of An Garda Síochána to meet the change in demands of this society."
Oonagh Smyth and Lucinda Glynn’s report ‘Blue Flight’ on resignations from An Garda Síochána, as well as Sarah McInerney’s interview with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, is broadcast on Prime Time on Thursday 24 August at 9.35pm on RTE One.
