The garda commissioner has issued a written warning to gardai ordering them to desist from posting and circulating defamatory and malicious comments about their colleagues and superiors on social media.
The move follows the circulation of false allegations against a senior officer on WhatsApp and the trolling of gardai who were called “scabs” by colleagues for working overtime on the Garda Representative Association’s (GRA) recent days of action.
An internal memo circulated on behalf of Drew Harris, the commissioner, by Kate Mulkerrins, responsible for legal and compliance at Garda Headquarters, said Harris had been made aware of “entirely unacceptable communications”.
“Such is the commissioner’s concern in particular for the named individuals so targeted and more generally and pursuant to his responsibilities to all garda personnel, I am instructed to put all personnel engaged in the creation or ‘sending on’ of such repugnant material on notice to desist forthwith,” she wrote.
The memo said Harris had ordered an investigation and was reserving his right to take further action. It urged any garda or garda staff member to contact their welfare officers should they be targeted by online trolls in the force.
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“The commissioner asks me to assure you firstly of his unequivocal support, asks that you report it and advises you that organisational support is available, he urges you to seek the available help,” Mulkerrins wrote.
The move follows the circulation of WhatsApp messages which contained false allegations about a senior garda which alleged she had been involved in a drunk-driving incident. The allegation originated on private social media chat groups subscribed to by gardai and went viral, making her a target of online criticism and abuse.
Harris has been targeted by online trolls for his proactive stance on discipline in the ranks and suspending gardai when there is evidence of serious wrongdoing.
Discipline and low morale within the force have become a significant issue for Harris since his appointment as commissioner in 2018. Research by the GRA shows that many gardai who have resigned cited bullying and the threat of discipline as factors.
