Luke Flanagan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

For justice and for policing to work, people must be fully assured that everyone is treated equally. These revelations in respect of penalty points clearly show that in Ireland, some people are more important than others and this brings the Garda Síochána into disrepute. This is not because the vast majority of gardaí are corrupt; on the contrary, the vast majority are as straight as a pin. However, until one has in place a system that proves and guarantees it is fair for everyone, unfortunately everyone is under suspicion. It is somewhat akin to a scenario in which one entered a shop, bought oneself five or six apples and put them on the weighing scales only to realises it did not add up. What should happen is one should be able to have that checked independently. At present, however, were this to take place within the realm of the Garda Síochána, the manager of the shop would check to ascertain whether the scales were all right and one would be obliged to accept his or her word. This is not good for justice and unfortunately, having delved into this area, I have discovered this appears to be only the tip of the iceberg. The reason it has not emerged before now is because, as I have been told many times over the past week, people are scared to come out and tell the truth.

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