It is two years since management consultants recommended that a large number of jobs currently held by gardai could be more efficiently carried out by civilians. The Strategic Management Initiative (SMI) study found that 643 posts could be "civilianised". Theoretically, this would free 643 officers for policing work.
The problem for the gardai is that the removal of these jobs could have an adverse effect on promotional prospects. Some five jobs at superintendent rank, 11 at inspector rank and 73 at sergeant rank may be lost in the coming years.
This will slow down the whole promotional process, a consequence which has caused considerable concern among officers in the middle ranks who are represented by the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors. The association is in negotiations with Garda management about the civilianisation programme.
The programme most significantly affects Garda Headquarters in the Phoenix Park. The consultants examined the 436 posts at Garda Headquarters and decided that 330 were suitable for civilianisation.
Of the 643 Garda jobs in the whole service to go to civilians, 316 are administrative and 327 are defined as "specialist". These specialist jobs include drivers, instructors and jobs in the technical bureau.
The SMI report recommends that 332 jobs be civilianised in the next three years and the remainder within the following three years.
It recommends that "A" branch, which handles services, loses some 240 positions. The much smaller "B", or personnel branch, may lose 13 jobs and the "C" branch, which controls crime and security, may lose only four jobs.
Some 72 jobs were identified for civilianisation in the technical bureau, in the fingerprints, ballistics, mapping, photography, documents and administrative sections.
The consultants did not recommend that fingerprinting or ballistics jobs be civilianised but point out that in Holland and Britain these jobs are regarded as civilian functions.
The barrack master section, which controls the supply of goods and financial supervision, is likely to lose 26 posts.
The consultants have recommended the appointment of a new director of finance for the Garda, along with two accountants and five assistant accountants. The finance section "should be civilianised for the most part", the consultants recommend.
The consultants' recommendations on the transport section will impact directly on Government ministers. There are 59 Garda drivers in the Ministerial section. The consultants recommend that 49 of these be redeployed to operational duties and that their driving jobs be taken over by civilians. Only the President, Taoiseach, Tanaiste and Minister for Justice would continue to be provided with Garda drivers.
Civilianisation of driving jobs has already begun in the details section, which is responsible for transporting prisoners and for other routine Garda work.
There was some sensitivity from Garda management about civilianising jobs involving what are described as "telecommunications functions . . . including security and surveillance-related work."
These technical jobs attached to the crime and security branch involve the interception of telecommunications messages, a highly sensitive and secretive area of police work. It is understood that anything up to 200 telephones, belonging to people suspected of involvement in terrorism or organised crime, are bugged at any one time by the Garda.
The consultants point out that in Holland these jobs are filled by civilians with security clearance. They say this type of work "should be performed by civilian technicians suitably cleared by crime and security section". The report states that the recommendations "bring civilianisation within the organisation to a level of security not previously considered".
The Garda College at Templemore, Co Tipperary, escapes lightly. Here, the consultants found that police training "required a predominance of police trainers and a strong Garda presence". Only 13 of the 134 posts in the college are to be civilianised.
Only 295 posts in the 109 district stations throughout the State are to be civilianised. The positions of Garda clerks - gardai who assist senior officers in district and divisional offices - are virtually untouched. The consultants found that these clerical positions gave gardai and sergeants "valuable administrative experience".
The report also recommends that civilians be used at the reception desks in Garda stations, although a Garda officer should be available.