Garda profile

By David Kelly

(Character)
‘‘MY Career Guidance Teacher told me to become a Chef because my aptitude test results were so bad,’’ recalls Garda Sergeant Donal Kelly.

The 45-year-old garda speaks admirably of his occupation. He is a man who has been around the block since he joined An Garda Siochana in 1982.

‘‘I have worked in Naas and Maynooth in County Kildare, Portlaoise, Abbeyleix and Arles in County Laois, Youghal in County Cork and I now work in Rathdowney in County Laois,’’ he added.

‘‘I joined the guards because I was always interested in crime investigation, the formation of the state and the history and emergence of our police force,’’ he said.

With the job comes many perks and challenges. It is a community orientated job and I love promoting community activities such as sport, he added.

Sgt. Kelly is also the Toomevara Camogie Chairman and Tipperary u18 Camogie Manager. ‘‘I have a ferocious will to succeed on the sporting field. This transcends into my job. I love working within the community and I am very much a team player. I support my colleagues 100 per cent, rather than running off on a solo run,’’ he said.

In his spare time he likes to go horse racing and greyhound racing in his native Tipperary. ‘‘I am also interested in antique furniture and traditional houses. My sister Suzanne plays with Tipperary’s Senior Camogie team and I am always at the forefront edging her on. GAA is my passion, my life,’’ he added.

With that he excuses himself to answer a phone call. Within two minutes he returns and planks himself on his resting arm chair with a bemused smirk on his face. ‘‘My brother just won €10,000 on the US Masters. I could have done with a tip. Damn the little bugger,’’ he laughs.

His youngest son, 11-year-old DJ Kelly describes his father as a committed and humorous person. ‘‘When I was at Kilkenny Shopping Centre last Christmas I jumped onto a man I thought was my dad. It turned out my dad was standing behind me with the rest of my family laughing their heads off. My father always sees the funny side of life,’’ he said.

However, he admits he sometimes fears for his father’s safety because of the rise in gun crime and because gardai remain unarmed.

(Challenges)
Gardai across the country face many challenges which range from organised crime and gangs to the court system.

‘‘We have a court system where the bail laws and judges appear to be liberal with persistent offenders. Our job incurs physical work as well as mundane work and maintaining public work, but that is why it is enjoyable. No two days are alike,’’ he said.

We face an emergence of rival gang families and a surge in gun crime, he added. The idea that community based gardai should become armed is out of the question. We have always remained an unarmed force since our foundation. Why change now? he says.

‘‘The hardest part of our occupation is dealing with sudden deaths, fatal road traffic accidents and people taking their own lives,’’ he added.

‘‘We need to support rural Ireland, we can’t let the small community bars and post offices disappear as a result of urbanisation and often at the hands of our legislation.’’

(Pension levy)
‘‘EVERYONE needs to put their shoulder to the wheel and play their part in reviving the economy.’’

That is the view shared by Sgt. Kelly, who has been in the service some 27 years.

Garda Kelly is just one of over 14,000 gardai who will be affected by the pension levy, which was introduced in last week’s mini-budget. The pension levy starts at 3 per cent on a gross income of €15,000, but rises to a high of 9.6 per cent on a gross income of €300,000.

Before the pension levy was introduced, Garda Representative Association General Secretary PJ Stone said: “Our members do not deserve pay cuts; the reality is they are never paid enough to take the kind of abuse they are often subjected to. A garda pension is hard earned.

“An assault on a member of An Garda Síochána is an assault on Irish society and our community. We have to highlight this because it is being ignored by our politicians. They are out of touch with the reality of life in our cities, towns and villages because they have allowed themselves to live in a protected bubble.’’

Heinz Kiefer, President of EuroCOP, an umbrella organisation which represents 34 international police forces said: “Public sector wages, especially in the police, are not competitive at their current levels. Further decreasing them will trigger even more experienced officers to leave the police service.’’

This has already been the case in Ireland where the Herald newspaper reported some 600 experienced gardai have resigned because of the pension levy, reducing the attested strength of the gardai by five per cent. It is widely feared that if retirement gratuities are touched this number will rise significantly.

However, unlike some of his comrades Sgt. Kelly is not opposed to the move, even though he still has a mortgage to pay and five children to care for. The divorced father of five earns around €95,000 a year, but between paying back loans and his €200,000 mortgage he will see his take home pay significantly reduced by a pension levy of 8.5%.

‘‘Everybody has to share the burden. There is no point in pointing the finger,’’ he said.

‘‘Every organisation in the country needs to be reformed at some stage. Now it is the turn of our banks and the financial sector. In the past it was the clergy, the gardai and politicians,’’ he added.

He remains upbeat on the prospects of turning the current economic crisis around. ‘‘We must adjust to these testing times, be tough and prepare ourselves for the upturn whenever it should come. We enjoyed the Celtic Tiger and we must prepare for the next one and help our children to flourish,’’ he said.

‘‘There is no point in being negative and dwelling on past experiences. It is all about the future. If we can learn from our past mistakes we will be a better country down the line,’’ he said.

‘‘We are still a young country by any means, we are always evolving, always learning,’’ he added.

It is clear that Sgt. Donal Kelly is a positive and upbeat character. With the community as his mindset, there is no reason why An Garda Siochana can’t continue to prosper for many years to come. We can feel ourselves safe in the hands of The Guardians of the Peace.
ENDS