Top gardaí say Nóirín ‘is minister’s human shield’
They have lost faith with their Commissioner and believe she must go
THE Garda Commissioner is simply acting as a ‘human shield’ to protect Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald and she ‘should reconsider her position’, senior gardaí believe.
In what is the first crack in the Garda’s collective response to recent controversies, senior management have expressed concerns about Nóirín O’Sullivan remaining in power. This follows repeated crises and revelations that have rocked Garda morale and led to the announcement of a root-and-branch review of the force.
Sources told the Irish Mail on Sunday that senior gardaí have ‘lost faith’ in the Commissioner and ‘great changes’ are needed to restore the public image of An Garda Síochana.
‘The Commissioner is acting as a human shield for Frances Fitzgerald,’ said one source. ‘She is remaining in power to suit the minister who does not want an all-out fallout from recent scandals.
‘It is our strong belief that the Commissioner should reconsider her position for the reputation and sake of the force. There are a lot of unhappy members but she is a close ally of Frances Fitzgerald so this is why she is riding the wave of the storm for so long.’
The Commissioner has come in for strong criticism from the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, with many senior members of the force criticising her handling of the phantom breath-test controversy. Many gardaí were also unhappy when she told the Oireachtas Justice Committee that everyone in the force was sorry for and embarrassed by the inflating of breath-test data. But not all gardaí conduct breath tests or input testing data when a checkpoint is completed.
During the recent AGSI conference, the Commissioner told senior gardaí they ‘must do better’ to restore public confidence in the force. In a defiant address, she said she was determined the current crises ‘would not be wasted’ and the Garda would transform and ‘open up’ under her commissionership.
‘You must do better; much better, by the men and women that you lead,’ she said. She said she accepted that senior Garda management, herself included, must also ‘do better’.
Her comments were largely unwelcomed by senior gardaí, with one saying: ‘She needs to take a strong look at the public perception and how her refusing to step aside looks for the overall image. ‘It’s hard for us to hear these sorts of comments without being annoyed. She’s there to protect Frances Fitzgerald and that’s as plain as I can make it.’
‘Remaining in power to suit the Justice Minister’