Ms Nóirín O'Sullivan:

As I said, I want to be very careful because we have an assistant commissioner establishing facts. Outside facts, I will offer a hypothesis. As the deputy commissioner mentioned, MAT checkpoints are a preventive measure. They are actually not designed to detect and catch people but to encourage compliant behaviour. One of the significant changes we have made in our culture is making sure we put prevention first and at the heart of everything we do. The following is a hypothesis - I want to be very careful - that perhaps the preventive nature of MAT checkpoints was not valued or viewed as being as important as detections. I do not wish in any way to detract from what I said in my opening remarks about the very good, diligent, professional and ethical work done by the men and women of An Garda Síochána every single day, but one hypothesis is that because of this, recording accurate numbers, be it 24 or 48 hours after a very busy period - that does not lessen or diminish the actions involved - was not seen as important as being accurate in the detection of offences.