Episode Transcript
Transcripts are displayed as originally observed. Some content, including advertisements may have changed.
Use Ctrl + F to search
0:00
Today with Claire Byrne on Ortiz Radio
0:02
one, sponsored by Solace, finish
0:04
school and not sure what's next, explore
0:06
further education and training options that this
0:08
is a few IT.
0:10
Reporter:
0:11
TODAY WITH CLAIRBER, AN
0:13
ITE RADIO ONE.
0:14
LATER TODAY THE POLECING AUTHORITY
0:16
WILL PUBLISH THE final report of an independent
0:18
review into the cancellation of nine ninety
0:21
nine calls by the guard, the the interim
0:23
report written by former chief inspector
0:25
of police Scotland Derek Penman
0:28
was highly critical of the way that Garthi
0:30
dealt with calls about domestic abuse.
0:32
The Garthi commissioner here, Drew Harris, apologized
0:34
last year for a failure to provide the
0:37
level of policing service that is expected
0:39
when Nolan Blackwell's CEO of the Dublin rape
0:41
crisis center Joins me now, Nolan.
0:43
Thank you for taking our call today. What do you
0:45
expect will be in the final report?
0:48
So we'd have to obviously
0:50
wait and see what comes up out first. But
0:53
undoubtedly, it has already
0:55
been recognized that there
0:57
is serious problem.
1:00
And what I am hoping, we
1:02
will see in the report is
1:04
that the there was sufficient
1:07
information given to the inspectors
1:09
who was carrying
1:09
out the report so that the policing
1:12
authority and, therefore, we the general public
1:14
have an understanding of
1:16
why there was
1:18
such a failure in such
1:20
a crucial service I mean, Keri,
1:22
the reality is that, so for instance, in
1:25
the double negative crisis center, we run the National
1:27
twenty four hour helpline. We know
1:29
how terribly hard it can be
1:31
to make a call at all, even to somebody
1:34
like us a confidential line where
1:36
it's not going to go any farther where people are getting
1:38
help. where people choose
1:41
to call nine ninety nine and ask for
1:43
the Garda Health in relation to
1:45
sexual violence, domestic violence, for
1:47
every sort of internet violence. They are
1:49
making a huge decision. And
1:52
this report hopefully will identify
1:55
why why the system fell
1:57
down. Why guards seem
1:59
to have
2:00
thought it okay to cancel
2:02
calls. Now we actually found out that there
2:05
was that in some ways, the report
2:07
that came out
2:07
in September said some of those
2:09
calls were dealt with. but not
2:11
canceled for some peculiar reason.
2:14
But we do know that there were
2:16
failures in the system, and therefore,
2:19
it's not
2:19
a reliable system. And above
2:21
all else, people need
2:23
to feel
2:24
that the nine ninety nine system
2:26
It's reliable. because Gardy had claimed to the authority
2:29
that no one came to harm as a result
2:32
of of the coal failings of the cancellations.
2:35
Do you expect that that's likely to
2:37
be accepted by this report? Should it be?
2:40
I don't know how they can know that. I don't
2:42
know how they can know when it is clear
2:44
even to them that their recording was
2:47
inadequate at the time. And if we look
2:49
at it just last week,
2:50
the guy ID went back on
2:52
figures that they had for twenty
2:54
twenty, twenty
2:55
twenty one. And I identified that
2:57
when you looked back on them in a slightly
2:59
different way, you could identify a
3:01
domestic element in a lot of sexual
3:04
assault cause. So
3:06
to say that no harm did, where
3:09
they they couldn't even tell because they
3:11
didn't put the information in on the poll system.
3:13
They they couldn't even tell where
3:15
harm might be escalating. I don't
3:18
know how they can be so assured about that.
3:20
But look, if in some way we
3:22
get that assurance, that will be
3:24
good. But I don't know because the
3:26
trouble with anyone calling
3:29
in distress to a nine ninety nine
3:31
call, the same way as if you turn a guard
3:33
face to face. And if you don't get
3:36
a response which shows that people
3:38
understood what you were saying and understood the seriousness
3:40
of it.
3:41
Who knows? They may never call again?
3:43
because they lose faith in the system. And
3:45
what impact has this had at knowing
3:47
on the relationship between the Dublin rate crisis
3:49
center and garthy because I would imagine if
3:52
someone calls you in distress or in dangerous
3:54
situation, that your call
3:56
takers have no option but
3:57
to say to them you must ring 999
3:59
Absolutely.
3:59
That's exactly right.
4:02
So in some ways, well, the the guarantee
4:04
we deal with have
4:05
all recognized that there was
4:06
a real problem identified in relation
4:09
to the nine ninety nine calls. And in fairness,
4:11
we have seen huge advances
4:14
in the specialist units that have
4:16
been set up to deal with sexual violence and
4:18
domestic violence in the commitment of
4:21
the top management of the guard
4:23
ID to dealing with the issue of intimate
4:25
violence. So we see them making progress
4:27
across lots of the
4:28
ways. And actually, we have seen
4:31
members of and go the
4:32
sheer corner. Very distressed about
4:34
this, but we have to call it
4:36
that it is a problem if
4:38
we can't say with confidence and
4:40
if people can't call with confidence
4:43
to that nine ninety nine number. And the guide,
4:45
they accept that we have to say that, and
4:47
and many of them accept it is problem
4:49
that has to be fixed as well.
4:51
Okay.
4:51
Not only we leave it there, but we will await
4:53
the publication of that report by the
4:56
policing authority a little later today,
4:58
Nolan Blackwell, CEO of the Dublin
5:00
rape crisis center. We'll be back after this.
5:03
Email today's c b
5:05
at RTE dot i e.
Podchaser is the ultimate destination for podcast data, search, and discovery. Learn More