Turmoil in the GRA over breath test interview
THE body representing rankand-file gardaí is in turmoil following claims that frontline officers were pressurised to inflate breath test statistics by their seniors.
The assertion by the official spokesman for the GRA has been questioned by senior Government figures, including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan.
The Irish Independent can today reveal that the row has also engulfed the national broadcaster RTÉ and led to a war of words at senior level within the GRA.
T HE body representing rankand-file gardaí is in complete turmoil following claims that frontline officers were pressurised to inflate breath test statistics by their senior counterparts.
The assertion made repeatedly by the official spokesman for the Garda Representative Association (GRA) has been openly questioned by senior Government figures, including Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan.
The Irish Independent can today reveal that the row has also engulfed the national broadcaster, RTÉ, and led to a war of words at senior level within the GRA.
Correspondence obtained by this newspaper details how a number of members of the GRA’s Central Executive Council (CEC) have now distanced themselves from an interview given to RTÉ’s crime correspondent Paul Reynolds by the association’s spokesman, John O’Keeffe.
During the interview, which aired on the ‘Six One’ news on Thursday night, Mr O’Keeffe claimed that the scandal of 1.5 million false breath test figures was fuelled by rank-and-file members being put under pressure by their bosses.
“Gardaí did not go out and falsify breath tests, they were put under pressure from both middle and senior management to do so,” he said. Under robust questioning from Mr Reynolds, Mr O’Keeffe reiterated that members were put under duress from their senior counterparts to ensure there were “high” and “elevated” breath test figures.
He added that if they did not have these high figures “there could be consequences”.
“They were put under pressure to raise these figures and told they had to raise these figures”.
Inan extraordinary series of events, senior GRA officers yesterday distanced themselves from the comments – resulting in a war of words with the association’s officer board, led by its general secretary Pat Ennis.
Members were satisfied with a press release sent out by the GRA criticising Garda management and saying that its members would not be “scapegoated”.
But they insisted that the interview given on RTÉ – and the claim that officers were pressurised by their counterparts to falsify figures so they could be in line for promotion – was not agreed at executive level.
Amid claims the interview given by Mr O’Keeffe had damaged the credibility of the GRA and infuriated members, Mr Ennis hit back, telling members that they must accept collective responsibility.
He also revealed that Mr O’Keeffe is taking legal advice following his interview with Mr Reynolds and a complaint has been lodged with the broadcaster.
“A complaint has been lodged regarding attitude and bias; and that the exceptional way that the item was an unedited stream,” the letter states.
“This is unprecedented by our national broadcaster. John O’Keeffe, in a personal capacity, is taking legal advice today,” it adds.
Members last night expressed their shock at the move, saying the interview was clearly conducted in a professional fashion.
Mr O’Keeffe declined to comment on the row when contacted by the Irish
Independent last night. He said that the GRA also will be making no comment until the Policing Authority releases its report on the breath test scandal in the coming weeks.
But the letter from Mr Ennis has infuriated members, after he criticised the decision by some to distance themselves from the interview.
“It is not about blame but a considerable position of solidarity that we must uphold,” he said.
The report into the scandal, led by Assistant Commissioner Michael O’Sullivan, discovered evidence of almost 1.5 million breath tests which were not carried out.
Some 3,498,400 tests were recorded on the Garda’s internal Pulse computer system, but only 2,040,179 were carried out.
The scale of the scandal was revealed a few days before Nóirín O’Sullivan (pictured left) announced her retirement as Garda commissioner.
But the issue dominated the political narrative yesterday following the statement given by the GRA.
The Taoiseach said senior management should face disciplinary action if they encouraged rank-and-file members to record phantom breath tests.
Mr Varadkar said individual members of the force should face sanction if they engaged in the practice.
He also criticised the GRA’s response to the internal Garda report on the issue.
“It was disappointing to see them reject the findings of an internal Garda report on the scale of the controversy. If I was a garda today, I would not be happy with the approach the GRA has taken on this.”
Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan also expressed his surprise at the GRA stance.