Ms Brigid Quilligan:

How we can move on from there is, I suppose, first, by gathering more data and conducting more research into it. That research was carried out in 2007. We need more fact-based data to accurately reflect the current relationships in terms of the attitudes of Travellers towards the gardaí and vice versa. We need to be able to back that up.

If one looks at some of the incidents that have happened lately with regard to allegations of racial profiling in the PULSE system, where Traveller children as young as a few months old were allegedly recorded on the PULSE system under intelligence, that does a huge disservice to any kind of relationship between gardaí and Travellers. That has rolled things back significantly. If we did not think they could be rolled back, they have been. We would recommend an immediate full and independent inquiry on the PULSE system and allegations of racial profiling. We would suggest that the Garda sit down with Travellers and Traveller representative groups to look at the issues and to map out research on the current situation and how to progress from it, and look at best practice internationally and how other countries deal with and support minority groups so that minority groups are not afraid to report crime and to approach the Garda and that a relationship develops. Travellers are afraid to report crimes - for instance, if a woman is experiencing domestic violence on a site. We have heard of cases in which gardaí would come out to a site and, rather than investigating an incident of domestic violence, look for tax and insurance and pick up Travellers for petty fines. There would be that kind of behaviour. If gardaí are called out to a reported crime, they should deal with that crime. There is an attitude that Travellers are criminals and that is what we as a people feel. How we would roll on from that is by sitting down in consultation and trying to build relationships.