The Garda Inspectorate has found serious failures in the way the Garda Síochána records and investigates crimes.
Publishing its report Crime Investigation, which runs to more than 500 pages and contains more than 200 recommendations, the Inspectorate described it as a "watershed opportunity".
It said some of the recommendations had been made in previous reports, but haven't been fully implemented, making them "even more urgent today".
The report identifies many deficiencies in systems and practices. These include:
" Serious failures in the recording, classification and reclassification of crime incidents;
" Inconsistencies in the claiming of detections;
" A lack of oversight of the decision making process;
" No standardised crime management process for reviewing, allocating and monitoring of investigations and ensuring each investigation is effective;
" An absence of intrusive supervision of crime investigations;
" Inexperienced gardaí investigating serious crimes;
" A new roster that does not adequately support the investigative process;
" Concerns over the timeliness of investigations;
" Inconsistent approach to updating victims of crime;
" Foundation training provided pre-2014 for investigating crime does not adequately equip gardaí for the task;
" Lack of IT and equipment to support the investigation of crime;
" Deficiencies in offender management practices particularly in the taking of fingerprints.
Chief Inspector Robert Olson said while many areas of good practice had also been identified in different garda divisions and in different parts of the county, including the new Community Policing Model, they were not consistent across the force.
"Throughout the country, we found committed and dedicated people, and we found many elements of good practice," he said. "But we also found that these elements of good practice are not being shared or employed across the country.
"In any organisation of this size, you must ensure that good practice is consistently observed. That requires strong leadership, strong supervision, and strong governance."
