Drew?
This afternoon.
Sandycove, County Dublin.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris (left) and colleagues at the Forty Foot bathing place, which reopened this morning.
Anyone?
Tag Archives: Drew Harris
An Garda Síochána-bound PSNI Chief Superintendent Paula Hilman (left) and PSNI Chief Inspector Steven McCauley,
This afternoon.
The Policing Authority is pleased to announce that it has appointed Chief Superintendent Paula Hilman to the rank of Assistant Commissioner in the Garda Síochána, following her retirement from the PSNI at the end of this month….
…The Authority has also appointed Chief Inspector Steven McCauley, who is due to retire from the PSNI in the coming week, to the rank of Superintendent in the Garda Síochána.
Assistant Commissioner Hilman and Superintendent McCauley will take up their positions in the Garda Síochána in early May…
Is this a coup?
Two members of PSNI appointed to senior garda positions (RTÉ)
Pics: PSNI/Irish News
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has said that An Garda Síochána agrees with a PSNI assessment that Sinn Féin and the IRA are overseen by a provisional army council pic.twitter.com/2cfEOA2knu
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) February 21, 2020
“In national security matters and matters around the State, it is my obligation to report to the government as you would expect me to do.
Also, we have been contributing to the IRC (Independent Reporting Commission) reporting on the status of various paramilitary groups and we would hold with their opinion on these matters.
I am also aware of the PSNI and the British security services assessment and we do not differ from that view.”
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris
Harris agrees with PSNI assessment that Sinn Féin, IRA overseen by army council (RTÉ)
Meanwhile…
Why doesn’t McDonald disband the Army Council and the PIRA or if she cannot, repudiate them and sever all links and do so publicly and unequivocally? – ‘Harris agrees with PSNI that army council still oversees Sinn Féin and IRA’ https://t.co/iezbK6kLcS
— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) February 21, 2020
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris
The High Court has directed Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to disclose the names and addresses of gardaí against whom he believes there is evidence of involvement in a smear campaign against a former colleague.
Ex-garda Keith Blythe had brought legal proceedings seeking to find out the identities of former colleagues who allegedly defamed him in messages circulated via WhatsApp and Facebook [in September 2018].
…The judge directed that the information be provided to Mr Blythe’s legal team before 1pm today, so that defamatory proceedings may be issued against the proposed defendants prior to the Friday expiry of a time limit in which to launch defamation cases against them.
Harris ordered to disclose names he believes involved in smear campaign (RTE)
Dear Drew
at
From top: Garda Commissioner Drew Harris; Brothel Keepers; a campaign seeking safety over enforcement in the policing of sex workers.
Lucy Smyth, writes:
We (a collective of sex workers and allies) are beginning a new campaign today, calling on the Garda Commissioner to immediately adopt policing policy which prioritises the safety of people in sex work over enforcement.
We have produced a website detailing official statistics on brothel keeping and with an analysis of 82 cases (involving 165 individuals) of sex workers convicted of brothel keeping over the last decade.
We would like to especially draw attention to the summary key findings in our Analysis section here.
As of today we are collecting signatures for a formal group letter to the Commissioner.
We have written to the Commissioner today to advise him that we are beginning this campaign.
Kind regards.
Lucy Smyth, of UglyMugs.ie (a member of the Brothel Keepers collective).
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris
Drew Harris was being driven back to Garda Headquarters at around 5.30pm when he saw a car being driven in an erratic manner in Blanchardstown.
The Commissioner contacted the Roads Policing Unit and the woman was stopped.
She was subsequently arrested and tested for alcohol and is expected to be prosecuted.
Nobody likes a whistleblower snitch.
Woman arrested after Garda Commissioner intervenes in road incident (RTÉ)
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris
On Thursday, May 9 last, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris appeared before the Public Accounts Committee.
During his appearance, he was asked about the case of female civilian guard Lynn Margiotta.
Ms Margiotta is seeking an inquiry into how she was treated by her employer after she made a verbal complaint of bullying against a Garda member.
Michael Clifford, in The Irish Examiner, has previously reported how Lynn Margiotta and her brother Dr Tony Margiotta ended up before a judge in the Dublin Circuit Criminal Court in March over sick notes she produced to her employer – An Garda Síochána – saying she was unfit to work.
Ms Margiotta was arrested at her home in Navan, Co Meath, by three gardai from her own station, Store Street Garda Station, on August 11, 2014 – three weeks after she made the bullying complaint.
She was told she was under arrest for fraud.
It had been the prosecution’s case that Ms Margiotta had obtained the sick notes by deception as Dr Tony Margiotta had used the stamp of other GPs on the sick notes.
However, almost five years later, the case against Ms Margiotta collapsed on March 26, 2019, after Judge Patricia Ryan ruled her rights had been abused as she had been denied access to a solicitor while in custody, and her privacy breached as her medical records had been accessed without her consent.
The case against her brother Dr Margiotta – who worked between two practices in 2014 and was a locum in one of the practices – was also dropped.
Today, Mr Clifford, in The Irish Examiner, reports that early on in the Garda investigation, an expert in GP stamps, Professor Colin Bradley, of University College Cork, carried out a report on the matter for the gardaí.
This report was completed on February 8, 2015 and outlined there was no requirement for doctors to use their own stamp and, furthermore, locums are likely to use stamps of other doctors.
Despite this, Lynn Margiotta was arrested a second time in September 2015, while her and her brother were arrested at their homes without notice in June 2017, and charged.
On February 6, 2019, the siblings’ solicitors obtained the Bradley report during the discovery process for their trial – after they chose to contest the charges and the matter was elevated to the Circuit Criminal Court [the DPP had agreed to allow the matter be dealt with in the District Court had they pleaded guilty].
Further to this…
Mr Clifford reports this morning:
In evidence at the PAC on May 9, Mr Harris said there was no record of a bullying complaint in the case.
“None can be found,” he told David Cullinane TD.
However, the Irish Examiner has learned that Ms Margiotta did make a verbal complaint, setting in train a process that would lead to a formal written complaint.
As per public sector policy, there was due to be a meeting to attempt mediation in the issue, but before the meeting could take place, she was arrested over the alleged false sick notes.
This information was conveyed to the Garda Press Office on Monday, for a response in relation to Mr Harris’ evidence, but no response was given.
Separately, the commissioner also appeared to give the PAC the impression that the case was being investigated by the Garda Ombudsman (Gsoc).
Mr Cullinane asked the commissioner if he was of a mind to “personally examine the elements of the case that are in the public domain”.
The commissioner responded: “That is also the subject of a public complaint to Gsoc. The material we are putting together is for its information and I have to wait for it to make its recommendations.”
According to a spokesperson, Gsoc is not currently investigating any aspect of the case that it understands was being referred to at the PAC.
In response to a question on this matter, the Garda Press Office replied that the commissioner was referring to a complaint from 2016.
In fact, the 2016 complaint, a copy of which has been seen by the Irish Examiner, referred to leaks to the media about Ms Margiotta’s arrest.
This was completed without resolution by Gsoc in November 2017.
Previously: Malingering Odours
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris addressing the conference of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors in Cavan yesterday
This morning.
RTÉ’s Morning Ireland broadcast an interview its crime correspondent Paul Reynolds carried out with the Garda Commissioner Drew Harris at the AGSI conference in Cavan.
It followed Mr Reynolds reporting that one of An Garda Síochána’s members is being investigated by the National Bureau of Criminal Investigations for allegedly engaging in “outside security work”, which is not permitted.
Mr Reynolds previously reported that false alarms were allegedly set off at a business and these were responded to by gardaí, in patrol cars, and these false alarms were then reported on the Garda PULSE system.
Mr Harris said he couldn’t speak of the specifics of the case as the matter is being investigated.
Mr Reynolds put it to Mr Harris:
“But you are known and have taken a very strong stand on discipline. I mean, and there has been criticisms of your stance at this conference [AGSI] of the fact that even though allegations have been levelled against individuals, that have not been proven, you have prevented people from being promoted.”
Mr Harris said each case is examined on its merits and he’s examined a number of cases and people have been promoted.
He said others have been delayed until he has received more facts.
Meanwhile, separately…
Very surprising RTE didnt ask Comm Harris about Margiotta case in interview on Morning Ireland
Disturbing questions arise in case against civilian member of gardaí over sick certs | https://t.co/5iAn8aiqRH https://t.co/pOQjR7ZW9k— Michael Clifford (@Mickcliff) April 17, 2019
Anyone?
Listen back in full here
Yesterday: Malingering Odours
Previously: “False Alarms”
From top: Garda HQ in Phoenix Park; Paul Williams and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris
“What we know so far is that the specially adapted Range Rover, belonging to the PSNI’s close protection team, was delivering Drew Harris to the Phoenix Park following a visit to the North on Monday, 25 March.The Northern vehicle was driving in convoy behind an ERU vehicle that met the escort at the Border.
After the ERU vehicle drove in, the quick-thinking garda on sentinel duty was alarmed.
After all, she had spotted an unknown Northern-registered car driving towards the gates and immediately moved to activate the security bollard which is designed to prevent a suspect vehicle entering the complex.
…Drew Harris is still very much settling into his role as commissioner and his relationship with many of his top management staff is described as purely professional.
But despite any initial embarrassment about the actual incident, Mr Harris should in fact be congratulating the garda on the gate for her quick, clear-headed reaction to an alarming situation.”
Paul Williams, Irish Independent this morning
However…
“There was no security incident at Garda HQ on 25 March 2019. A newly installed bollard malfunctioned and caught the underside of the vehicle the Commissioner was travelling in. This happened at a walking pace. No vehicles were flipped.
The malfunction was quickly fixed and vehicular traffic went in and out of Garda HQ as normal that day. As per our previous statement, normal movement procedures were followed in relation to the Commissioner.”
Garda Press Office statement this afternoon.
Someone’s flipping fibbing.
YOU must decide.
Yesterday: What The Flip Is Going On?
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris arriving at Leinster House to attend a Justice Commitee hearing last September
Following reports that Garda Commissioner Drew Harris’s unmarked 4×4 with heavily armed PSNI detectives on board was flung into the air at the gates of Garda HQ in Phoenix Park after a Garda on duty activated a security bollard…
“Gardai and the Irish Defence Forces are the only service permitted to carry fire arms in the republic. That’s where the law is.
There are exceptions in some cases. Regrettably Drew Harris could be a target because of his former membership of the PSNI/RUC and his connections to the British security forces. Every care has to be taken with his protection. Measures for his security must be taken in a legal and proportional and appropriate way.
It is not standard operating procedure that an armed PSNI escort would travel to Garda headquarters to protect the Commissioner of An Garda Siochana. The officers concerned have no authority to carry firearms.”
Retired Detective Chief Superintendent John O’Brien on RTÉ Radio One dismissing the Garda’s explanation that a PSNI jeep with armed police bringing the Commissioner into the Republic was “normal procedure”.
PSNI escort for Harris to Dublin ‘most unusual’ decision (Irish Times)