Seven out of ten people donÂ’t believe there's enough investment in crime prevention in rural areas.
ThatÂ’s one of the findings of a new survey carried out on behalf of the AGSI, whose annual conference begins this evening.
But the poll was carried out before the recent revelations on the inflation of breath tests and wrongful convictions, which the association agrees has damaged the force.
Juliette Gash reports;
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) has released details of its first ever public attitudes survey to An Garda Síochána, commissioned over three days in March (20-23), before the latest revelations about the inflation of breath testing figures and the 14,700 wrongful convictions relating to penalty points
The research focused on the publics’ attitude towards Gardaí’s right to strike, Government investment in policing as well as AGSI’s recent pay campaign. The results show that the public have a high appreciation for Gardaí’s unique and dangerous role.
President of the AGSI, Antoinette Cunningham has called on the Minister for Justice & Equality and the current Government to prioritise policing and justice. “While we in AGSI are constantly beating the drum, sometimes the voice of the voter can be the most powerful one of all and this research reflects the voice of the people.”
Over half of people surveyed (55%) believe that An Garda Síochána should have the right to strike. Even among those who disagree with them having a right to strike, there is overwhelming support for a unique method for An Garda Síochána to negotiate their own pay and conditions (81%).
The planned withdrawal of labour in November 2016 had limited impact on the publics’ opinion of An Garda Síochána. Less than one quarter claimed it had a negative impact, while for the majority (77%), it had either a positive impact or no impact at all.
There is a high level of agreement amongst the public that the Government is not investing enough in crime prevention in rural areas. 3 in 5 farmers say that there is underinvestment in rural policing. Opinion on road traffic policing is split, with 43% saying there is insufficient investment and 45% saying there is sufficient investment.
