Garda (Police) Racial and Intercultural Office (GRIO)

In announcing the establishment of the Garda Racial and Intercultural Office in 2000, the then Garda Commissioner outlined its key function as being "to advise, monitor and co-ordinate all policing activity around racial, ethnic, religious and cultural diversity". The Garda Racial and Intercultural Office can be contacted at Tel: +353 1 6663150/3817 or at Fax:+353 1 6663801.

The Garda Síochána has in place an Ethnic Liaison Officer system (E.L.O.'s) which provides training and support for the 400 Garda ethnic liaison officers throughout the state and is a positive indicator of the organisation’s commitment to Ethnic and Cultural Diversity as a strategic goal. Anyone reporting that they have been the victim of a racist incident will be informed by the Gardaí of the designated Garda Ethnic Liaison Officer in their area.

European Commission Award

On the 21st of March 2000, the Garda Racial and Intercultural Office were presented with a thirty thousand Euros innovation prize by the European Commission. This award was in recognition of work already under taken by the Garda organisation in raising awareness around racism and related issues.

Diversity Strategy and Implementation Plan 2009-2012

An Garda Síochána (Police Force) published a Diversity Strategy and Implementation Plan 2009-2010 entitled "Beyond Legal Compliance" in May 2009. The Plan sets out how the Garda Síochána (Police Force) will deliver on its commitment to embrace all aspects of policing and diversity. The Diversity Strategy was developed following extensive research and widespread consultation with key internal and external stakeholders. This Strategy is dual focused, in that it sets out organisational priorities to manage diversity within both the Garda (Police) workplace and the communities that the Gardaí (Police) serve.

Intercultural Ireland - Identifying the Challenges for the Police Service

The Office has just completed an EU funded programme entitled "Intercultural Ireland, Identifying the Challenges for the Police Service". This was a five-stranded programme which included:

• A European exchange programme
  
• A Conference
  
• The establishment of an ethnic relations forum
  
• The development of a Garda training/ education strategy
  
• The production of a Garda training video.
  

An initiative currently being explored by the Garda (Police) Racial and Intercultural office is the development of a network of contact individuals within the many minority ethnic communities in Ireland. Other ongoing initiatives include the quarterly production of a Garda (Police) Racial and Intercultural Newsletter together with developing awareness raising campaigns on racial and ethnic issues.

Information Booklet

In 2002, the Gardaí (Police) published Your Police Service in Intercultural Ireland', a source of information for all minorities in Ireland aimed at facilitating an understanding of the role of An Garda Síochána (Irish Police Force). The booklet gives a brief guide to the police service, those aspects of Irish law which affect people in their daily lives, what they can expect if they have a complaint to make and what structures are there to deal with such complaints. This booklet is available in 12 languages at the webpage of the Garda Racial and Intercultural Office.

Website (www.nicnewcommunities.ie)

A website www.nicnewcommunities.ie developed by An Garda Síochána Dublin Metropolitan Regional North Central Division aims to provide people from the new communities with a channel of communication to express their viewsand to build relationships between the new communities, An Garda Síochána and Dublin City Council. It won an award at the Media and Multicultural Awards in November 2008.

Garda Training

The Continuous Professional Development Programme at the Garda OutsourceTraining Centre in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary offers a specialised training course on Ethnic Liaison. Garda Local Continuous Professional Development Centres include modules on Cultural Diversity in their programmes.

Non-Irish national members of the Force

The recruitment of full-time Gardaí is governed by the Garda Síochána (Admissions and Appointments) Regulations 1988. In 2005, the regulations were amended to facilitate greater diversity in the membership of the Garda Síochána. Recruitment of foreign nationals was made easier by modifying the requirement to have Leaving Certificate qualifications in both English and Irish. Recruits now only require the equivalent of a Leaving Certificate qualification in either language. In addition to EU, EEA and Swiss nationals, recruitment is also now open to non-European nationals who have resided in Ireland for five years. The number of non-Irish national full-time trainees and full-time attested members of the Force are as follows:

	South Africa	1
	USA	6
	Canada	1
	China	20
	Denmark	1
	Holland	1
	Poland	9
	Romania	2
	Lithuania	1
	Bosnia	1
	Germany	2
	TOTAL (at 12/06/09)	46

Garda (Police) Reserve

There are currently 39 non Irish nationals in the Garda (Police) Reserve including 12 attested members and 27 in training. These members are from the following countries, Argentina, Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cameroon, China, Germany, India, Japan, Kurdistan, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Ukraine and Zimbabwe.



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