Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing time with Deputy Ellis. It is clear that public confidence in An Garda Síochána will be further eroded by Nóirín O’Sullivan remaining as Garda Commissioner. Her position has become untenable. The Government should now use the power provided to it under the Garda Síochána Act 2005 to remove her from office.

Commissioner O’Sullivan claimed that a collective failure caused the controversy and has apologised for the grave mistakes and wrongdoing which have taken place and which have seen almost 1 million drink driving tests falsified and almost 15,000 people wrongly convicted for road traffic offences. Addressing gardaí at the AGSI annual conference in Killarney yesterday evening, the Commissioner said that somebody somewhere either did not count the figures right or put the wrong figures into the machines. It is quite embarrassing for that to be the answer from somebody at the Commissioner's level, given the absolute fiasco that we are seeing. It is embarrassing for the Commissioner. Gardaí have also openly challenged the Commissioner, accusing her of frequently pointing downwards, with the effect that the blame culture deepens within the force. There is an obvious lack of confidence not only among the public but, critically, within the Commissioner's own ranks.

People are entitled to a proper standard of policing and accountability should form the foundation of that service. Sinn Féin is calling on the Government to remove the Garda Commissioner as it is clearly in the best interests of An Garda Síochána and the future of policing and justice in this State. The falsification of the breathalyser figures, wrongful prosecutions and allegations of financial impropriety in the Garda College at Templemore do little to promote public confidence in the force. Confidence must be the basis of any relationship between the Government and the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána. Root-and-branch recovery can only come from the top down. The culture at senior level needs to change if we are to see genuine reform throughout the Garda. The Commissioner has proven, particularly over the last weeks, that her position is completely untenable. We need an open and transparent policing service that is accountable for its actions. The Government needs to end the charade, remove Commissioner O'Sullivan and replace her immediately with a representative who is fit for purpose and who the gardaí themselves and the public can be confident will make the changes needed.

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