Almost 10 years ago, the government published an 'Efficiency and Effectiveness' report on garda reform. That report in 1997 also recommended that more civilians were employed in managerial and administrative jobs in the gardai so that the gardai could get on with its core job of policing.

Last week, the new inspector of the gardai Kathleen O'Toole recommended the "urgent" appointment of civilian managers including a legal advisor, a director of information technology and a director of Human Resources. But back in 1997 the Efficiency and Effectiveness report recommended the "establishment of a new position of HR Manager to head up the central HR policy". While a HR manager was appointed last March, efforts to appoint a HR director proved fruitless and that key job is now being done by assistant commissioner, Catherine Clancy.

O'Toole's report last week also recommended a civilian be appointed as director of communications.

But again the 1997 Efficiency and Effectiveness report recommended the gardai hire a civilian communications director. That appointment was never made.

On the appointment of civilian clerical staff to release desk-bound gardai to patrol the streets, the Efficiency and Effectiveness report in 1997 recognised "the potential for further civilianisation within the force". The concept behind this, according to the 1997 report, was to "allow for certain jobs to be done at a more economic cost and to free up gardai for work more suited to their training and development, while at the same time increasing the operational capacity of the force". But almost a decade later, the O'Toole report said, "The Inspectorate, with the strong support of the Commissioner, has identified civilianisation of the Garda Siochana as a priority for further study, benchmarking and recommendation".

Despite the recommendations in the 1997 report, only 1,300, or around 10%, of the gardai are civilians. This level is well below the norm in other police forces where civilianisation reaches up to 40% to 50%. In the conclusion to her report last week, O'Toole, emphasised "the urgency to move ahead now with the first steps in organisational reform". A decade on from the last such recommendation its now a case of wait and see.