Conference Report 2016

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CENTRAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE REPORT uNIfORm The pace of progress on change to operational uniform is disappointing. The Uniform Working Group (comprising representatives of staff associations, Garda Procurement, Health & Safety and the Office of Government Procurement) last met in early August 2015. Broad agreement had been reached on a number of items which were to be viewed by senior management and the Central Executive Committee for input and views. This was to take place in September 2015. Senior management viewed the garments in February 2016. At the time of going to print the Central Executive Committee has not been given this opportunity. Members of the Uniform Sub Committee have visited several suppliers of police uniform and have examined a wide range of garments worn by police forces elsewhere. We have liaised with the Police Federation of Northern Ireland and a number of police forces in the UK and Europe. As a result proposals were brought to the Working Group which appeared to have satisfied the requirements of all concerned. Footwear of a lighter composition (which complies with all health and safety requirements) had been identified by the GRA representatives to the Working Group and it was agreed that a wearer trial would take place. This Association has for many years sought to dispense with the requirement for wearing a uniform tie while on frontline operational duty. Anyone who has ever worn the combination of a stab vest and fully buttoned up shirt with clip on tie knows only too well the discomfort and thereby distraction this causes. Designers of police uniform emphasise and prioritise safety, health, wearer comfort and a design that is instantly recognisable as belonging to “police”. Uniform is one of the most frequently raised topics by our members with this Association and we acknowledge their immense input and feedback on the matter. The issue of uniform was also raised by members who were interviewed for the recent report of the Garda Inspectorate Report titled Changing Policing in Ireland published in November 2015 –page 369 “uniforms and equipment are an important issue and one that was raised with the Inspectorate in every division visited and by association representatives”. 4 Garda Representative Association
Section 3: Sub-committee Reports wElfARE We are all concerned by the evident increase over recent years of the number of our colleagues who have taken their own lives. Many of us have been directly affected by these tragedies and some have been involved in the consequential investigations that result. While the Central Statistics Office cannot supply data on suicide rates by occupation, it is apparent that the number of members of An Garda Síochána who have committed suicide is high when compared to figures for the general population in the relevant age group. It is of particular concern that the trend has increased dramatically in this organisation while it is downward in the general population. The Welfare Committee have liaised with Dr Claire Hayes, consultant clinical psychologist, Clinical Director with AWARE and author of several books on stress and coping. Dr Hayes agrees with this Association’s call for a Wellbeing Survey of members to be undertaken. She is also of the view that all professional supports for individuals with mental health issues or potential issues should be easily accessed and without bureaucratic delays. We have also met with the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP), which was set up in 2005 within the HSE to provide support for the implementation of a national suicide prevention strategy. NOSP maintain that effective suicide prevention strategies “must be rooted in robust data about the risk and protective factors affecting particular population groups. Identifying what groups are vulnerable to suicidal behaviour and trying to identify what puts them at risk and what can help to protect them is essential in designing effective responses” NOSP have identified a list of priority groups based on analysis of information available to them consisting of evidence of vulnerability to and increased risk of suicidal behaviour. Occupational groups identified were healthcare professionals and those working in isolation (vets, farmers) NOSP agree that our figures are cause for concern. They have a helpful websiteyourmentalhealth.ie which provides a wide range of useful information. As mentioned above and in last year’s report we are calling for a wellbeing/stress survey to be conducted and await a decision. It is worth recalling that the last such survey among our members was in 1998. This was conducted for this Association by the Department of Applied Psychology, NUI, Cork. It was noted in the Executive Summary of this study - “An examination of stress in occupations such as policing seems particularly important. In any organisation, high levels of stress would be a source for concern, but it seems all the more important given that the work of police officers may impinge on the safety, wellbeing, liberty and even life of other individuals in society.” The case for conducting such a survey is compelling and organisations such as the Health and Safety Authority, The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work, World Health Organisation, International Labour Organisation, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Labour Relations Commission et al, are all advocates. We have called for a Wellbeing section on the Garda Portal. This could provide advice and information on the hazards of work related stress, shift work, diet, nutrition, exercise, substance abuse, addiction, sleep, general health and mindfulness. Links to other relevant agencies websites (NOSP for example) should be included. This type of support is available to many employees in the private and public sector many of whom are involved in lower risk employments than our members. We call for the information required by Section 9.1 of the Working Time Agreement (HQ Directive 3/13) to be made readily available – “9.1 Medical advice shall be provided by the Chief Medical Officer in self-care and health management arising from the obligation to perform shift work.” In June 2015 the Minister for Health, Mr Leo Varadkar and the Government signed off on the Health and Wellbeing (Workplace Wellbeing) Bill which if enacted will require public service employers to develop a ‘healthy workplace’ policy to promote the physical, mental and social wellbeing of employees. Employers and employees will be able to decide for themselves what initiatives to pursue. We believe that An Garda Síochána should not wait for legislation and should prioritise the development of such a policy in collaboration with representative associations. “Trends and Patterns in Occupational Health and Safety in Ireland” was a major study undertaken by a research steering group comprising the Economic and Social Research Institute and Health and Safety Authority published in May 2015. Among its findings are that- “the 38th Annual Delegate Conference 5
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