Mayo centre provides vital support to Gardaí
The work of GISC staff enables Gardai to focus more of their time on frontline policing.
Almost 300 people are employed at a Mayo centre which offers vital support to An Garda Síochána.
The Garda Information Services Centre (GISC), located at Davitt House in Castlebar, is a contact centre for operational members of An Garda Síochána. After an incident, Gardaí contact the GISC on mobile phones instead of returning to their station to record the case details. They give the details to trained civilian call-takers who enter the details in the PULSE system.
The 24-hour centre aims to reduce the administrative workload and improve the data quality on PULSE. Its work enables Gardaí to be more active on the ground and, in turn, increases Garda visibility.
First opened in 2006, GISC originally had Garda staff but is now a fully civilian operation.
The centre boasts 291 staff with plans to grow that number in the coming weeks and months.
“There is a huge emphasis on data quality. That feeds into the overarching aim of having good information-led policing. Good data and information results in good quality investigations,” said assistant principal officer, Kevin Fadden.
“The Garda can go about his business knowing that the information he has provided has been properly recorded and can be accessed at any time,” he added.
The staff undergo rigorous training which provides them with the required skills for the role.
“We have a strong three-week in-classroom training programme that really prepares people well,” said Kevin.
Every incident that is recorded is subsequently reviewed to ensure all the information is accurate.
Laoise Naughton, from Ballina, and Sarah McDonnell, from Charlestown, are among the incident creation members of the team.
Loaise, whose husband is a Garda, is fully aware of the helping hand that their work gives to An Garda Síochána.
"I heard of the benefits of GISC through him and it seemed like a great opportunity for me," she said.
Sarah said the role can be challenging at times but very rewarding.
"It is rewarding to be able to guide them correctly and make sure they can get their job done quickly and accurately so they can get back to front-line policing," she commented.
"We're trying to make their lives as easy as possible and to help them in any way we can," Laoise added.
