O'Toole's views:Third parties such as mental health professionals or relatives should not be used as negotiators in "barricade incidents", head of the Garda Inspectorate Kathleen O'Toole has said.
Ms O'Toole was speaking yesterday at the launch of the inspectorate's review of Garda practices and procedures for dealing with such incidents.
The review was ordered by Minister for Justice Michael McDowell last year after the publication of the Barr report on the shooting of John Carthy following a siege in Abbeylara, Co Longford, in April 2000. The inspectorate was not charged with appraising Mr Justice Robert Barr's report of the incident, but rather with assessing the reforms implemented by the Garda since the fatal shooting and recommending any additional steps needed to bring about reform and development of the force, Ms O'Toole said.
The inspectorate endorsed the majority of the Barr report's recommendations and made 84 further suggestions relating to initial responses, on-scene command and the provision of police equipment. However, Ms O'Toole said the inspectorate "took a different view" to Mr Justice Barr in relation to the use of mental health professionals as potential negotiators.
The Barr report suggested that Mr Carthy's sister or a trusted doctor might have been of use during the negotiating process. "There's always a risk in involving third parties especially in dealing with someone suffering from mental illness. . . We even advise against having a mental health professional speak directly to the subject," Ms O'Toole said. The input of third parties was "absolutely essential" and "very valuable" but should be restricted to written or taped messages, she said. Doctors and lawyers should be allowed to provide professional advice to gardaí without getting involved in negotiation, she added.
Mr Justice Barr had made comprehensive recommendations in relation to scene command and Emergency Response Unit negotiations. However, Ms O'Toole said concerns remained over the safety of the "first responders" at the scene of barricade incidents. These gardaí needed strict protocols to which they could refer and the inspectorate had made recommendations relating to their training and equipment with non-lethal weapons.
It was also vital that a protocol be developed in advance to deal with media relations at any siege incident, Ms O'Toole said. There was "still room for improvement" in the performance of gardaí in siege situations. However, the inspectorate's recommendations were being adopted by the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner, she said. It was "abundantly clear" that the Garda had learned lessons from Abbeylara and the inspectorate would continue to monitor the force to ensure its recommendations were implemented.
