Today the Garda Inspectorate has published a post implementation review of Recommendation 9.16 from its 2014 Crime Investigation report which stated that ‘the Garda Síochána conduct an urgent examination of the current process for exhibit and property management’. Chief Inspector Mark Toland said,

“The management of property and exhibits is critically important to ensuring confidence in the criminal justice system. As such, it is important that all property is appropriately managed and stored safely. The objective of this review was to verify that the Inspectorate’s recommendation was fully implemented and to assess if the introduction of an electronic Property and Exhibits Management System (PEMS) is achieving the intended outcome.”

Key Findings

  • PEMS has been implemented across all divisions, but is not integrated with other Garda and Criminal Justice IT systems;
  • PEMS managers are committed to their role but many had not received sufficient training;
  • The standard of seizure and packaging of exhibits is acceptable but practices for lodging, managing and disposing exhibits in PEMS stores were inconsistent;
  • An exhibit liaison officer has been appointed in each division or unit;
  • Property and exhibit management was on the risk registers for all divisions visited;
  • 82% of the garda workforce has not completed the on-line training course;
  • Some drugs exhibits were missing and there were delays in acting when exhibits could not be found; and
  • Some stores were inaccessible making the working environments unsafe.

Recommendations

  1. Identify and appropriately resource a single PEMS store for each division;
  2. Deliver in-person training for all PEMS managers and staff, supported by a good practice and knowledge sharing forum;
  3. Conduct an urgent audit of property and exhibit management;
  4. Enhance monitoring of property and exhibit management;
  5. Update the PEMS2 Policy and Procedures Documents;
  6. Conduct a health and safety audit of all PEMS storage facilities;
  7. Conduct a review of the security arrangements for all places where property and exhibits are stored; and
  8. Integrate PEMS with other garda and relevant criminal justice partner systems.

Commenting on the progress, Chief Inspector Toland said

“The introduction of PEMS has improved property and exhibit management but implementing these recommendations will help enhance the exhibit management process and ensure confidence in the integrity of exhibits across the criminal justice system”.

Notes to editors

Please see link to press pack, and link to report

For any follow up requests for information, please contact: Mr Gerry McDonagh – 087 9373459, [email protected]

A Post Implementation Review (PIR) is conducted to verify if a recommendation made in an Inspectorate report has been fully implemented, and if so, whether it is achieving the intended outcome(s). Following an internal assessment process, Recommendation 9.16 was selected for a PIR. It focused on four of the six actions which included the implementation of an integrated IT property management system and rollout across all divisions, the development of a national drug register and the nomination of members with responsibility for managing forensic samples.

The review focussed on the policies, procedures and practices within the Garda Síochána for managing property and exhibits with specific reference to drugs evidence.

The Inspectorate visited four divisions and met with garda personnel from a further two divisions as well as a number of national units. Meetings also took place with the Policy and Business leads.

During divisional visits, the majority of locations used to store property were inspected and a sample of drug exhibits seized during the first half of 2023 were audited.

In preparation for the commencement of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024, and the establishment of the Policing and Community Safety Authority, the Inspectorate and the Policing Authority decided to jointly conduct a PIR. This review was led by the Inspectorate in line with its statutory mandate and provided a good opportunity for joint working with staff from the Policing Authority.

The findings from this review will be discussed with the Garda Commissioner at a future public meeting of the Policing Authority.

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