Noirin refuses to stand down over Garda scandals
O’sullivan in vow to head up ‘radical’ force reform
CRISIS-HIT Garda chief Noirin O’sullivan last night refused to step down and vowed to lead a “radical reform” of the force.
Breaking her silence on the fake breath tests and penalty points blunder, she admitted more examples of bad practice were “inevitable”.
She said an overhaul of the system was under way, adding: “We’re looking at a problem that goes back more than a decade”.
The Commissioner made a statement after details of almost 15,000 wrongful traffic convictions and false claims of 937,000 drink-drive tests emerged.
She said: “This is an issue which is more than systemic. It’s about ethics. It’s about supervision.
“It’s about measurement. Most of all, it’s about trust.”
Ms O’sullivan added she had asked the Policing Authority to examine and review the processes used for roadside breath testing.
In addition she has directed newlypromoted Assistant Commissioner Michael O’sullivan to conduct a separate probe and report its findings within the next month.
She admitted: “What we’ve found is totally unacceptable and not in keeping with the standards of a modern and professional police service.”
The Garda chief also hinted at more scandals to come.
She said: “When an organisation like An Garda Siochana is on a journey of radical reform it is inevitable we will identify more examples of bad practice.” It emerged on Friday up to 14,700 people wrongly prosecuted for road traffic offences may have their convictions quashed because of a garda error. Gardai also claimed two million breath tests were carried out between 2011 and 2016 when the real figure was a million. Speaking yesterday in Rome, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said: “I continue to have confidence in her [Ms O’sullivan].”