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RTÉ crime correspondent Paul Reynolds on RTÉ’s Nine News last night

In light of Noirín O’Sullivan appointment as the new Garda Commissioner, last night Mr Reynolds reported the following:

“[Her appointment] has been broadly welcomed, there has been some criticism but Noirín O’Sullivan is the first Garda Commissioner in the history of the State to be appointed to the position, following and open, public competition and she got the position through, against national and international competition and that does give her some credibility as she takes up, begins the job first thing tomorrow morning.

She’s also dealing with the criticism, as you say, by distinctly saying that it’s an advantage, that she was an insider and that she was part of senior management in the force for so long because it does mean that she knows the members. She says she knows the organisation, she knows the problems, she can implement change and she also knows the community and what they expect from a policing service. And she was also appointed to the position, in spite of reports that the abuses are continuing in the penalty point system, in spite of the new system that she introduced last June.

And she said something very interesting in relation to that point, here at the press conference tonight. She said that she’s confident that when the audits are published very soon that they will show that the system she introduced is, in fact, working. And that’s at variance with many of the reports we’ve heard over the past few weeks.

Meanwhile, John Mooney reported in last weekend’s Sunday Times:

“An internal investigation by gardai into fresh allegations that senior officers continued to terminate penalty points in questionable circumstances is to be referred to the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC). The investigation identified a few cases of gardai deleting penalty points in contravention of new regulations introduced last June to prevent abuses of the system. It also found evidence to suggest officers continued to terminate penalty points even after two garda whistleblowers revealed there had been widespread abuse of the system.

“Nóirín O’Sullivan, the interim garda commissioner, ordered an investigation last September after The Sunday Times reported an allegation by Maurice McCabe, one of the two whistleblowers, that some officers caught speeding were continuing to claim wrongly they had been using private cars on official garda business.”

“These cases are among those being referred to the GSOC, which is already running a separate investigation into the termination of penalty points. The cases could result in disciplinary hearings, demotions or the imposition of fines.”

“The delay in finalising the GSOC investigation has been attributed to labour shortages, after the agency lost a number of staff. Frances Fitzgerald, the justice minister, and O’Sullivan have promised to restore public confidence in the penalty points system. Fitzgerald has promised to publish the findings of the internal investigation once it has concluded.”

Security sources believe the report’s publication is unlikely, given that it contains evidence that could lead to GSOC taking disciplinary or criminal proceedings against officers. “The promise to publish the full report was politically motivated,” said one security source. “The Department ofJustice will probably publish a redacted version.”

Good times.

Watch back here

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16 thoughts on “A New Broom

  1. LiamZero

    It’s deeply embarrassing that RTE continue to employ Reynolds in that role. His inability to criticise the gardai in anything but the most abstract manner is an insult to viewers.

      1. Sancho

        C’mon, guys. It’s RTE! Of course they will take the Gov/Establisment line. They are funded by the State and the Gov holds the purse strings. RTE will absolutely always just do and say whatever they are told to do.

  2. Mark

    I’m not sure a foreign police person would be uncorrupt. Maybe they could have gotten the former head of the Ferguson police? Or that London Met guy who helped cover up Tory MPs liking of murdering kids.

  3. JimmytheHead

    Read up on auld Nores last night. Joined up in 1981, risen very fast in the last decade, appointed deputy commmish in 2011. Turns out she was a big part in dealing with the “mockies” – a huge Dublin street dealing gang, also she was a big part in the anti drug squad for a decade when Dublin was overrun by heroin (yes, more so than now) and she has taken training courses with the FBI as recently as 4 years ago. Might be interesting, tho my source for info was a tabloid….

    1. scottser

      to me that reads ‘she’s being paid off by the drugs gangs and has been schooled by the FBI in how to cover her tracks’.

  4. Anne

    In 2012, around 200,500 penalty point notices were issued to 179,000 drivers.
    Total drivers in Ireland 2.7 million approximately.

    179K as a percent of 2.7 million is 6.6% approx.

    We have 13,000 members approx. in the Gardaí.
    6.6% of which is 858.

    By the law of averages, we should have about 858 Gardaí with driving offenses then.
    Let’s say they’re extra careful as they are upholders of the law and all that..

    Have we even 1 Guard with a penalty point ?

    1. Anne

      Nevermind.. they’re always on duty shur.

      Donuts have to be gotten at all hours.

      “officers caught speeding were continuing to claim wrongly they had been using private cars on official garda business.

  5. phil

    ‘and she also knows the community and what they expect from a policing service’

    Id like to see her definition of ‘community’ , I wonder does it include all Irish citizens , or just the establishment , as usual….

  6. Truth in the News

    Noreen O’Sullivan sat beside Martin Callinan at a Dail hearing when the
    words “disgusting” were uttered by Callinan, did she concur with the comments
    and why did she not repudiate them there and then.
    Why has nobody in Political and Media circles queried her silence if she
    stayed num then, does that auger well for the future.

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