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Gardaí felt use of non-Irish actors in recruitment ads aimed at minorities would amount to 'tokenism'

The new campaign ran for three weeks in April at a cost of more than €400,000.

GardaPressOffice / YouTube

CONCERNS WERE RAISED by An Garda Síochána that the inclusion of non-Irish actors in its latest recruitment ads would be seen as “tokenism”, new documents reveal.

Internal Garda correspondence released to TheJournal.ie shows how the head of the force’s communications unit recognised that a lack of minority actors in the ads could potentially have drawn criticism from the Policing Authority, but felt that doing so would not have been representative of the force’s members.

The campaign was launched by Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan in April, when a specific call was made for members of minority communities to consider a career with the force.

Ahead of the launch, changes were made to the recruitment process as part of attempts to encourage more diversity within the force.

These included the facilitation of alterations to the garda uniform, and permission for Sikhs to wear turbans and for Muslims to wear hijabs.

The campaign ran across print, radio, online, in cinemas and on TV at a cost of more than €400,000, and also featured on posters in more than 13 languages.

The ads featured individuals in civilian clothing taking part in regular activities beside uniformed gardaí, and targeted individuals who would not have normally considered a career in the force.

It is part of the latest recruitment drive by the Department, which is aiming to increase the number of members of An Garda Siochána from its current number of around 14,000 to 15,000 by 2021.

 Announcing the launch of the campaign, Flanagan said that gardaí served all members of Irish society and that it was important for the force to “reflect the welcome and increasing diversity of Irish life”.

‘Diverse faces in the group’

However, emails released under the Freedom of Information Act show how the Garda’s Director of Communications Andrew McLindon felt that it was important to engage with minorities in an appropriate manner as part of the recruitment drive.

Responding to a query about diversity from the force’s Head of Talent Acquisition Denise Kennedy, he claimed this approach was dictated by feedback provided to his office by minority groups.

“[The ad] looks great, are there diverse faces in the group ethnicity wise?” Kennedy asked, reacting to a preview of the campaign in an email on 26 March.

In response, McLindon said:

Not in the members, as we felt to do so would be seen as tokenism given our low levels of members from minority communities… this comes from feedback from minority groups who don’t want tokenism, but want us to be seen to be engaging with them fairly and appropriately.

McLindon added that he recognised that a lack of minority members in the ad “may draw criticism from some in the [Policing] Authority” but that he was happy to “stand over” the decision.

New Garda Recruits New Garda Recruits (file photo) Rollingnews.ie Rollingnews.ie

Previous correspondence between McLindon and Kennedy also shows that concerns were raised about how the impact of the campaign would be measured.

In an email to Kennedy on 28 February, McLindon asked whether the Garda’s Public Appointments Service would be able to provide information about the demographic background of applicants at the end of the recruitment process.

“I have a slight concern that the impact of the recruitment campaign will be measured by the numbers that apply versus the last campaign – which I don’t think will necessarily show much change,” he wrote.

“The campaign is really about attracting a different kind of candidate.”

Participation in society

Pippa Woolnough, Advocacy Manager with the Immigrant Council of Ireland, explained the importance of having individuals from a diversity of backgrounds in the gardaí, as doing so ensures that non-Irish individuals feel they are participating in Irish society.

“Ireland is becoming an increasingly diverse country, and it’s important for people in figures of authority to look like the people they’re representing from across society,” she told TheJournal.ie.

“It creates a sense of belonging among individuals, and gives people the feeling that they’re inputting, influencing and shaping the society that they live in.”

Garda figures provided to TheJournal.ie show that there were 14,099 serving members at the end of last month, 69 of whom were not from Ireland (including Northern Ireland).

The largest number of non-Irish members came from China (19 gardaí), followed by Britain (18), and Poland (14).

There are also four Latvian gardaí, three members of the force from Romania and Lithuania, while there are two gardaí from the USA.

Other nationalities represented in the force include Croatian, Hungarian, Indian, Nigerian, Russian and South African.

Speaking at the launch of this year’s recruitment drive, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris also iterated a desire for the force to become more diverse.

“We also know that we need to become a much more diverse organisation so that we properly reflect the society we serve… ” Harris said.

“We want to encourage people from all walks of life to join us. We are looking for diversity not only in background, but also in skills.”

Separately, the force is also carrying out research in communities which are under-represented in the gardaí in order to identify what more the organisation needs to do to encourage them to join it.

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    Mute Fred Jensen
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    May 7th 2017, 8:10 PM

    Should have been put underground. Hopefully this will be the last large overground project in the city centre, and Metro North and other projects will all be put underground.

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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 8:44 PM

    @Fred Jensen: Would rather have Dart underground from Westland row to Heuston, with a link up to the cross town Luas lines..

    53
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    Mute Brinster
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    May 7th 2017, 9:37 PM

    @Fred Jensen:

    Dawson St Luas is an utter, utter disgrace.

    Businesses there have had to put up with continuous disruption for FOUR years.

    The Empire State Building was built in 1 year and 45 days, over 80 years ago.

    It takes us 4 years to put down 300 metres of track on Dawson St. That an average of 20 centimetres of track per day.

    Disgrace.

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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 10:10 PM

    @Brinster: Dublin is a medieval city with many underground basements, streams, crypts/historically sensitive buildings which have to be very carefully managed to ensure foundations are not affected, and have to be carefully worked around by archaeologists and not some polish lad in a JCB..

    It’s not like in say London or German/European cities which were pretty much destroyed completely or heavily damaged in the war, and allowed city planners to build underground or overground rail from a blank canvas.

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    Mute Ron Koeman
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    May 7th 2017, 10:13 PM

    @Brinster: absolute joke Dubai have the same system and put it round a whole city in half the time and there’s no accidents either

    34
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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 10:34 PM

    @Ron Koeman: Dubai = Massive blank canvas, all new buildings and roads in that city…They have 12 lane motorways through the city centre!
    Also Pre-Oil Dubai in the 1930′s and 40′s was full of shacks and small stone buildings.

    Not a fair comparison to Dublin, even though you may think so as they kinda sound the same, lol!

    54
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    Mute Mary Murphy
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    May 7th 2017, 11:48 PM

    @Fred Jensen: No doubt it will all be dug up again for a variety of reasons due to no joined up thinking……and in less than six years

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    Mute Krystian Brzezowski
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    May 8th 2017, 7:38 AM

    @Dub_Right: really? Some Polish lad in JCB? What that supposed to mean? Anyway those medieval crypts basements etc. where filled prior to the construction, construction of tracks itself is taking huge amount of time. What is the excuse for taking so long on O’Connell street? Same crypts?

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    Mute Brinster
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    May 8th 2017, 9:10 AM

    @Dub_Right:

    Four years! Four flippin years.

    And I wouldn’t mind if it was four years of continuous construction. I would n’t mind if it took four years for engineering/architectural reasons.

    But it didn’t.

    It has taken four whole years of continuous disruption because at no time (and I work round the corner) has there been more than 10 people working on site on any given day.

    Despite the fact that most of the street is dug up most of the time – most of the “works” are idle for literally months on end.

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    Mute Grainne Abdulaziz
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    May 7th 2017, 8:10 PM

    I’ve bought two penis pumps from Moore Street establishments in the past year, both excellent quality. It’s a shame their businesses are being affected like this.

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    Mute The Viking
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    May 7th 2017, 8:22 PM

    @Grainne Abdulaziz: Jazus Grainne.. Surprised to hear you have a penis. Then again i dont think you could enlarge the size of your dick ..

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    Mute Paddy Downey
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    May 7th 2017, 8:35 PM

    I remember businesses in Harcourt Street complaining about the devastating effects the Lúas works were having on them back a few years. Nobody in authority cared then and nobody in authority cares now.

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    Mute Jason Culligan
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    May 7th 2017, 8:41 PM

    @Paddy Downey: Why should they? Should all national infrastructure projects be cancelled if they inconvenience a few people?

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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 8:48 PM

    @Paddy Downey: Copper Face Jacks was hit really bad by the lack of lads in the GAA jerseys… Oh wait…

    39
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    Mute Tony Stack
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    May 7th 2017, 8:41 PM

    And now they will make a fortune once it gets going , swings & roundabouts

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    Mute HoneySmuggler617
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    May 7th 2017, 8:16 PM

    A bit late now considering there finished in a few months. No sympathy anyways

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    Mute filthypete
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    May 7th 2017, 8:20 PM

    @HoneySmuggler617: poor attempt.

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    Mute Fergal Doyle
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    May 8th 2017, 12:34 AM

    @HoneySmuggler617: Clown

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    Mute Dub_Right
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    May 7th 2017, 8:33 PM

    “Really affecting my Deli business”… Cue all the lads from the Luas works outside coming in to buy a Chicken fillet roll, can of coke, crisps, packet of fags… Yea.. terrible for the business! lol!

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    Mute Atlantean Irish
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    May 8th 2017, 12:51 AM

    But the works on Parnell street only got going in terms of them being an obstructive presence late last year. And vehicles can still travel down Parnell and Moore street, plus it is packed with people.

    Parnell and Moore street is packed mostly now with foreigners, both shoppers and shop owners, there is a muslim butchers in the back of a muslim grocery shop, not sure if still open.

    But the question arises, is the lack of custom to the Irish butcher due to the Luas or lack of customers due to different food habits of foreign customers or not eating non-halal meat or competition?

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    Mute Paul
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    May 8th 2017, 1:04 AM

    @Atlantean Irish: keep that quiet, another half arsed job from the Journal.

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    Mute Anne Honer
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    May 7th 2017, 9:53 PM

    Monday to Friday between Houston station and town it’s full of junkies attendi

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    Mute Sandra Clifford
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    May 7th 2017, 9:12 PM

    It will be just another junkie ridden luas

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    Mute Mary Murphy
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    May 7th 2017, 11:51 PM

    @Sandra Clifford: exactly eying up the windows on the houses they can visit in their own time and on our dime

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    Mute Anne Honer
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    May 7th 2017, 9:53 PM

    Court it’s scary

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    Mute Steve Tracey
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    May 8th 2017, 10:24 AM

    Not to do with effects onsses no it will because people cant cross roads or get on/off buxses conveniently/. Due to the fencing there is no way of getting on or off buses going north incl Airport from Fosters Place to just past the GPO. This also applies to taxis, very few gaps where the road can be crossed by pedestrians

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    Mute Marie Byrne
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    May 9th 2017, 12:33 AM

    To be honest I don’t come into town at all on principle because the parking charges are so high. I can pay for parking but choose not too. I can go to plenty of shopping centres with no parking or a minimum charge to get what I want I don’t want the stores to be hit but would seriously love the car parks who charge exorbitant rates to suffer they have well made their money – but not off me

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    Mute Said Babayev
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    May 8th 2017, 8:19 AM

    @Anne Honer: Is that the one in Texas?

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