Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan and Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald at the passing out ceremony for new gardaí in Templemore Garda College earlier today
From today you have full Garda powers. With such powers comes the great responsibility to use them appropriately, respecting the dignity of all persons you encounter in the course of carrying out your duties.
You have completed the first stage of what is a challenging and rigorous training programme and I congratulate you on that achievement. There is still much learning ahead of you before you are awarded your BA in Applied Police Studies.
In two weeks you will take up your assignments in Garda stations around the country. And I urge you to listen and learn from your tutors, assimilate their knowledge and experience, and use it to good effect as you serve local communities across this country.
Earlier I reminded myself of the principles of this great institution which has protected peace and security since the foundation of this State.
Honesty, accountability, respect and professionalism.
Principles are constant, they underpin everything you will do. But new ideas are the fuel that ensure these principles will continue to live and thrive and adapt to the realities of modern policing, an evolving police force, and a changing country.
So I urge you to bring your own fresh perspective and to share your ideas with your new colleagues across the Force.
The bond between An Garda Síochána and the community depends on trust and confidence. Public trust is earned by honesty, accountability, respect and professionalism. That is what the community expects from An Garda Síochána.
You will play an important role in your community and it is precisely because the service you will provide is so vital, so important to the well being of every citizen and our society as a whole, that you must ensure it is delivered to the very highest of standards.
The Report of the O’Higgins Commission of Inquiry identifies cases where standards were not met, where victims of crime were failed by An Garda Síochána.
That is as unacceptable as it is disheartening and we must take all actions open to us to ensure that these shortcomings are not repeated.
Victims must be at the heart of the Garda service.
In the past the needs of victims of crime have sometimes been overshadowed by a focus on apprehending and prosecuting perpetrators. We must ensure that our response to criminal behaviour is a comprehensive one while putting the needs of victims at the forefront.
I ask every one of you to think about what you can do to re-establish that trust and to ensure that victims of crime are well served when they come seeking your assistance and protection.
The Government is focused on bringing about improvements that will make An Garda Síochána the world class policing service that we all want it to be. To achieve this goal a number of reforms have taken place together with significant investment in resources.
Most significantly the new independent Policing Authority has been established to oversee the performance by An Garda Síochána of its functions relating to policing services. I look forward to the Authority playing an important part in the ongoing reform process.
Another important reform is in the law protecting whistleblowers. The Protected Disclosures Act 2014 ensures that there is a range of options open to those who want to report wrong doing. Now any Garda can have their complaints independently examined by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.
These are just two examples of important reforms that have taken place. As I have said on many occasions, there is no end to reform for any organisation. Reform is an ongoing journey of practical and cultural change that can never cease. As members, you must be open to new thinking and embrace change.
From a speech given by Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald at the passing out ceremony in Templemore earlier today.
Read the speech in full here
Previously: Maurice McCabe And The Plastic Rat
Eamonn Farrell/Rollingnews
thanks franny i’ll remind the guard of this when he his baitn’ the head of me in templebar for back chatting to him
lol
spiderman
Ah good old Francie, as safe a pair of hands as you’ll get sticking the boot into Noirin in front of all those young Guards and their families. I bet O’Sullivan was clenching her arse as these words were spoken. ‘Fitzy, you’re embarrassing me in front of the kids’
O’Sullivan has had two years in the job and we’re still talking about implementing reform, tis a long and winding road for sure
If this is ‘ticking the boot into Noirin’ then we really have a police force which is ridiculously over sensitive.
Did she quote Spiderman?
I’d prefer if she quoted J. Jonah Jameson.
With great power comes great utility bills.
lol
His Uncle.
True dat
Gardai are corrupt. Any one who’s ever dealt with them knows that.
Really ? I’ve dealt with dozens over the years. Ive met some lazy , slovenly ill disciplined Gardai but I wouldn’t describe any of them as corrupt. There may well be corruption as there is in any police force but not to the degree that the conspiracy theorists on BS would have everyone believe.
Got robbed once. The gardai on that occasion told me they knew who did it, and all I had to say that it was them. I didn’t have a clue or not if it was that person, never having seen them. They put pressure on me to lie, but I didn’t, at which point I was verbally abused for ten minutes. I used to believe the gardai were clean in the main, a couple of bad apples, but otherwise fine. But then you look at the Dean Lyons case, the Frank Shortt case, the Brian Rossiter Case, the Frank McBreatty case, the ‘rape tape’ case, etc. etc. It’s the case that a huge percentage of the force are corrupt, and the rest just keep their mouths shut either through cowardice or fear. Without a doubt, the gardai further up the ranks are corrupt. And, in fairness, ask any junior gardai whether the upper ranks or clean or not and they’ll say ‘no.’
I’ve got some friends who are PSNI officers -they scoff at the Gardaí. It’s a given that the Gardaí are corrupt/untrustworthy/…etc. (….that’s what they said!)
People in glass houses etc.
@ Shayna
The PSNI are the most corrupt police force, if you could even call them that, known to man. They’ll always be the RUC, changing their name changed nothing.
@Mairead I’m not defending the RUC/PSNI, I merely made the comment to highlight a kettle calling the pot a certain colour. I think that policing the Police (whatever the colour of their uniform – or whatever brand they’re known as) is a fundamental to any society. If there’s no trust – it’s anarchy?
Nice try Shea Na, but nobody is ever going to believe that you have a friend among the most hateful shower of…
Hang on, I’ll start again.
You might find solace in your temporary belief that ‘policing’ comes without corruption, or your misconception that one ‘police-force’ is less corrupt than any other. They are all as bad as each other.
But wait a minute…
You said you had a friend…
…what’s that about?
You should’ve warned people that Mairead is your friend and that you will do what you do to them as you do do to those who do do unto you.
[9Ɩ/90/80 sǝɯǝɯʇɐpɐq]
BTFU, I like the
newavatarnew avatar. It looks brighter or something…I dunno…Really the PSNI?
Bullpoo
“Got robbed once..The gardai on that occasion told me they knew who did it, and all I had to say that it was them. I didn’t have a clue or not if it was that person, never having seen them. They put pressure on me to lie, but I didn’t, at which point I was verbally abused for ten minutes. ”
Maybe the Guard in question sidekicked as psychic sally or something…. he could have ‘known’, in a psychic sorta way.
I suppose they have to be seen to be cracking down on this sort of thing…. a percentage of convictions for robberies has to be put through the system.. and any criminal will do. They did something, before.. they’ll do.
That’s probably the mentality from the shower of wasters.
Best of luck to new recruits . 2 /3 corrupt out of every 100 is the average so watch your backs. Give respect and you get it back.
“2 /3 corrupt out of every 100 is the average”
Would that not be like….2/3 of all of them then?…
I’m probably wrong. You seem to know what you’re talking about.
Heh.
I’ve a friend from Tyrone, he’s 6ft 5 – at least, and 20ish stone – Brick sh*t house comes to mind. He was walking back to his hotel (late night) ,The Shelbourne after Tyrone won their first All-Ireland – 6 Gardaí wrestled him to the ground – told him he was a Nordy Bastard and took the cash from his wallet. They told him not to report “the incident”.
So a 6’5″ Tyrone supporter is “wrestled to the ground” and has money stolen from his wallet in the middle of Dublin city centre by 6 uniformed Gardai and not 1 single person got it on camera. The tale is as tall as your friend
They all gave him lovebites and stole his boxer shorts.
At least that’s what he said at home….
Back in 2003 – people weren’t so savvy with phones.
You’re clearly not from a GAA county – ah yes – Dublin?
It’s a pity it wasn’t from Armagh… He might have only got a sympathy mugging instead. Puke football or Puke Tales…..
He did beat the bejesus out of them (that’s what he said) 6 Dubs against 1 Tyrone type? – Sounds like what happens in Croke Park.
I’m sorry She-Ra, but your story just doesn’t hold up…
You would NEVER be able to find six Gardaí IN Dublin who are FROM Dublin, not on the same night.
It’s a load of made-up nonsense.
You might fool some of the thicks
– I’m aware of your silly antics.
I am starting to count
So don’t be a count
I’ve listed your name under ‘PR….’
Wait now…that must be wrong
She-Ra never dangled a dong
But most girls from the hicks
Look like they sport dicks
Bong-bong, diddely bong-bong, diddely bong bong. tish
Gardai killed the Jews.
Ha!
Can I have his number? Just asking for a friend like.
A pity they didn’t kick him in the head as well
There are some people – often fans of Rabble and WSM / AAA etc – who often say ACAB (All Cops Are Bast*rds)
Are they right?
No they’re wrong…
This is absolutely true, apart from the names which have been changed to protect my mate Dave.
One night last week my mate Dave was helpful to two Gardaí who were doing something they probably shouldn’t have been doing but it was no harm to anyone or anything like that, but they still shouldn’t have been doing it. ‘Dave’ knows them both by their first names only. This happens regularly, and will undoubtedly happen again. At the end of the incident one of the Gardaí gave Dave €5. Dave was on cocaine, smoking joints and drinking whiskey at the time. He thinks they know this, but as he says ‘A blind eye for a blind eye, and a fiver is a fiver’
TRUE story.
I can’t tell the full story for obvious reasons, but I was on the phone to Catherine McEntee at the time…She’ll vouch for
meme mate Dave.…on cocaine, smoking joints and drinking whiskey at the time.
You forgot to mention that he was feeling very frustrated and annoyed too. They had interrupted him in the middle of a wa*k and he was far from pleased.
…but sure how would YOU know anything about that?
I forgot…this is Dave, your mate. Carry on.
Actually, DON’T CARRY ON.
PS.
BYOB, nice avatar!!!!!
SCAB. Some ….
I’ve always found any Garda I’ve had the misfortune of ending up talking to as a very, very congenial and courteous person. I think they’re great.
-All you have to do is trick them…Say you’re somebody else…somebody famous…
One night one of them found me in a ditch and woke me up. I must’ve fallen asleep picking blackberries earlier on that day or something. Another time, (not 100% sure about this bit) there was these three Gardaí, they were all riding the same unicorn, and there were fireworks coming out of it’s behind parts, and coloured rainbows… and little fluffy clouds…and it went on forever….little fluffy clouds…
…and you don’t see that these days…
Hold on, there’s someone banging at my window. It’s probably because of the loud music, but when you’re competing against two sirens you have to whack it up.
-If this carries on I’m calling the Guards. It’s not on. Banging on windows this early in the morning???
If you’re half as big a gobspoo in real life as you are on the internet I pity any public servant who had the misfortune to have to interact with you
…you might still see it in the desert….
…red and purple and yellow….
You go on for ever
Shut up.
Nobody gets that ‘joke’.
You embaress me, aspecially when you troll-bait.
Have you no ashame?
Hey sǝɯǝɯʇɐpɐq,
Would the clouds sort of catch the colours? And what would happen when it would rain?
I think I have seen something similar once upon a time but it wasn’t in the desert, well not a sandy desert anyway.