Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The number before the courts is in single digits and therein is the problem. I can assure the Chair I will not comment on any court case. The point I am making is that the number suspended equates to half of the total Garda cohort in my county. One can imagine the difference having 113 gardaí on the street somewhere - be it Ennis, Dublin or anywhere in Ireland - would make in terms of policing, instead of having them at home, not using the skills they acquired in Templemore, being fully paid to sit at home while suspended. It is amoral and it is a failure. The National Bureau of Criminal Investigation needs to move this on. If they have done something wrong, dismiss them; do not have them at home on pay. However, if they have not done something wrong, let them go back into line.

Have certain directions been given by the Commissioner’s office or those at assistant commissioner level to not pursue guys who are driving scrambler and quad bikes without helmets? Rank-and-file gardaí told us that. Have they been told not to use batons or pepper spray? We are increasingly hearing at local level that there is paralysis of decision-making. If you ring up a garda on their mobile or contact them, we would all have their numbers. For example, you have to talk to a superintendent or you will have to talk to a chief superintendent for an issue to be dealt with. Has the Commissioner given direction that certain things such as that cannot be pursued by rank-and-file gardaí?

Is there a paralysis of decision making as a result? Are people fearing for their careers and their livelihoods and are, therefore, not taking action?