Unfair treatment from management is the biggest reason for members of An Garda Síochána leaving the force, according to a study conducted by the Garda Representative Association (GRA).
The case study, conducted through interviews with a number of former Garda officers, pointed to an “unprecedented” retention crisis at the heart of the force.
70 per cent of those interviewed for a case study, published by the GRA in November, as former Garda officers, had left the force citing unfair treatment /discipline (or threat of) or being bullied by management. 70 per cent also said that they would not recommend a career in the Garda.
The case study interviewed 40 members of An Garda Síochána, asking them about their reasons for resigning from the organisation, and to ascertain their views and experiences.
Almost all of those surveyed said that their mental health had suffered since joining the gardai, with 97.5 per cent agreeing with the statement.
Work related stress, mental health, or burn out was the second largest reason for leaving – with 37.5 per cent of those interviewed citing this as the reason they left the progression.
Just 5 per cent left because they said they felt forced to resign, with the same percentage saying they left because of a better job opportunity.
The research spotlighted a rising number of Gardaí resigning, detailing how in 2022, 107 members resigned from the force. The number of officers resigning is up this year, with a total of 142 officers having resigned so far this year – with the latest figures showing that 28 members resigned in October, adding to an exodus which is at an all-time-high.
In March of last year, the GRA decided to contact some of the officers who had resigned to establish the reasons behind their decisions to resign – with the organisation saying that no research had previously been carried out within the Irish context on police resignations.
The organisation noted that the number of those interviewed was one limitation of the study – however, authors said that choosing to interview 40 participants at a time when approximately 200 members had resigned in the preceding 18 months to two years, was representative of roughly 20 per cent of that population.
For this reason, the results were seen as more generalisable. In addition, the researcher, a member of An Garda Síochána and Assistant to the General Secretary of the GRA, meant that the individual’s “own biases and opinions on the organisation” was brought into the research.
The study referred to a “phenomenon of members of the national police force resigning “in unprecedented numbers.”
25 men and 15 women were interviewed; 25 interviewees were based in Divisions outside of the DMR, while 15 were based in the DMR.
Of those interviewed, 17 had between two and five years’ service in the force, while six had less than two years’ service. In total, 23 interviewees out of the 40 had less than five years service – accounting for 57.5 per cent of all those interviewed.
Nine former officers had between five and ten years’ service – 22.5 per cent – while three had between ten and 15 years’ service. Another three participants had between 15 and 20 years service, while two had more than 20 years’ service in the force (5 per cent.)
A further 32.5 per cent of former gardai (13 officers) cited excessive workload / not having time to properly investigate, or having no resources as the main reason for leaving. The same percentage said that a toxic work environment, or everyone being “very negative” or “very unhappy” was the main reason for departing the force.
27.5 per cent of former gardai said that a lack of support or feeling vulnerable was a reason for leaving, amounting to 11 officers. Another nine officers (22.5 per cent) said that lifestyle choice, work-life balance, or relationships was a factor.
ALMOST 80 PER CENT SAY IN ‘NO CIRCUMSTANCES’ WOULD THEY RETURN
Other cited reasons in the research included transfer reasons (3 officers, of 7.5 per cent), uncertainty around rosters – 3 (7.5%), bureaucracy – 3 (7.5%, better job opportunity -2 (5%), feeling forced to resign- 2 (5%), and no recognition for good work – 2 (5%).
In smaller numbers, poor salary or pension was cited, along with feeling too ambitious to be a Garda; poor standard of training; ambition being “blocked at every opportunity”; experiencing a betrayal of trust; their family benign targeted; and not liking the unpredictability of the job.
77.5 per cent of participants (31) said there was no circumstances under which they would consider returning to the force.
When asked if they felt management “adequately recognised” their commitment to the job, 80 per cent said no. A further 20 per cent said they felt mid management did sergeants and inspector ranks) but that ranks higher than that did not.
92.5 per cent of those surveyed said that their perceptions on what being a Garda would be like when first joining had changed throughout their service.
Expanding on this, 22.5 per cent said they felt they had gone from being an investigator to an administrator, while 17.5 per cent said there was “far more paperwork” than they had envisaged. 12.5 per cent said that the job was “less about policing” and “more about ticking boxes.”
The same percentage reported experiencing less autonomy or trust to make decisions than they had imagined, while 7.5 per cent said that policing during Covid was “difficult.”
85 per cent said that they did not feel they had the necessary tools, resources or working conditions to be effective in the role.
More than half of former officers told the survey that they did not feel they had the necessary training to be effective in their role.
More practical police training was highlighted as a recommendation to improve this by those surveyed (35 per cent), while 30 per cent said that garda college was not realistic, effective, or practical. A further 7.5 per cent recommended driver training to be offered initially in Garda college, while 5 per cent pointed to a better standard of mental health training as a recommendation.
‘SERIOUS ISSUE WITH MORALE’
All participants said that there was a “serious issue with morale” in the organisation. Asked how this could be improved, 5 per cent of those surveyed said that they had no suggestions to improve moral as they perceived the situation as being “too bad to fix.”
However, over 20 per cent said terms, conditions and pay could be addressed, while over 17 per cent said that recognition of good work could improve the situation. The same percentage said that relationships between management and Gardai could be boosted, while 15 per cent suggested mental health supports be put in place.
Just five per cent (two respondents) put forward body cams as a recommendation to improve things, while the same percentage suggested the use of tasers.
‘MENTAL HEALTH HAS SUFFERED’
The vast majority said that their mental health had suffered since they joined An Garda Síochána – 39 out of 40 participants, or 97.5 per cent. 60 per cent said that their mental and physical health had suffered because of the job.
The number of gardaí leaving the force contrasts sharply with the numbers of resignations recorded in 2016, when a total of 24 gardaí resigned. The figures have seen a persistent increase, from 77 in 2020, to 95 in 2021, and 115 last year.
A recent Dáil question by TD Niamh Smyth, asked in October, revealed that a total of 508 officers were on long-term sick-leave from the force.
That compares to a total of 24 gardaí who resigned from the force in 2016. The figures have consistently increased from 74 in 2019 to 77 in 2020 to 95 in 2021 and 115 in 2022. A further 360 officers out of the State’s 13,880 gardaí were on short-term sick leave at the time of the revelation.
Addressing an Oireachtas committee last month, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said that certain issues regarding pay in particular could be adding to morale issues in the force. He said that in the last decade, the job has changed, and that officers are having to deal with more traumatic incidents than before.
The head of the Gardai, who took office in September 2018, pointed to “people’s sense of belonging with the organisation”. Speaking before the Joint Committee on Justice, he said he felt officers had a “sense of duty that they feel to the people of Ireland and their recognition of how important their work is.”
“It is not all a negative story,” he said. “I do not dodge or deny any of it,” he said, referring to the “fatigue,” and the “stresses and strains” around workload along with the reported oversight officers felt was “intrusive.”
“I recognise all of the difficulties that we have within the organisation,” he added.