Nóirín O’Sullivan refuses to be drawn on future
In a statement at the weekend in response to revelations that almost 1m officially registered drink- driving tests and other check point records never took place, Ms O’Sullivan said the issue was “more than systemic”.
She said what has emerged is “unacceptable” and that trust must be restored between officers and the public.
Despite increasing calls for her to resign over the series of scandals that has occurred under her watch — including penalty points and the Maurice McCabe smear claims — Ms O’Sullivan failed to address questions over her future.
“We’re looking at a problem that goes back more than a decade. This is an issue, as the Policing Authority has pointed out, which is more than systemic.
“It is about ethics. It’s about supervision. It’s about measurement. Most of all, it’s about trust.
“What we’ve found thus far is totally unacceptable and not in keeping with the standards of a modern and professional police service.
“It is a matter of grave disappointment that this has apparently been happening for so long, unchallenged,” she said.
Ms O’Sullivan said “every single member” of the gardaí must take responsibility for what happened, and look closely at their own actions and the “trust between ourselves and the communities we serve”.
However, while insisting she is “determined we identify problems and take whatever corrective action is necessary”, her statement did not make any comment on calls for her to step down.
“Every single member of the organisation must recognise that their individual actions, in all areas of policing, reflects on the organisation as a whole and impacts on the trust between ourselves and the communities we serve.
“We admit these issues publicly, take whatever corrective action is necessary, and ensure they do not recur. We are asking that the corrective action be externally validated. That will reassure the public.
“However, it is important to state at this point that when an organisation like An Garda Síochána is on a journey of radical reform, as it is under my commissionership, it is inevitable that we will identify more examples of bad practice. Only through that openness can we sustain public trust.”
Ms O’Sullivan’s statement failed to appease opposition parties, with calls for a further statement to be made by the start of Dáil business tomorrow, clarifying when she knew about the tests and what action, if any, she took.
Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin yesterday said his party can no longer support Ms O’Sullivan and called for her to make a further statement, while Sinn Féin and Labour are both separately considering motions of no confidence in the Garda commissioner.
