Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Last Friday evening, a young woman died in Athlone. She was 27 years of age, a sister, a daughter and a friend. She was the second death from heroin in Athlone in the past two years, the same two years it has been since Garda whistleblower Nick Kehoe went to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, to complain about the manner in which the investigation into his protected disclosure about Garda involvement in that very same heroin trade was being handled by the now acting Commissioner, Dónall Ó Cualáin. Two years, two deaths. If that was not bad enough, it is three and a half years since he made his original complaint yet not a single person has been arrested or charged and not a single person has been questioned under caution. While the print media were able to report a year ago that the investigation actually upheld the garda's complaint about Garda collusion in the heroin trade, the whistleblower heard nothing.

This decorated garda is out of work sick. He is about to go on substantially reduced wages. His absence was first recorded as influenza, then as sick - other and now as mental health even though his medical certificates clearly state that he is absent on work-related stress, which is a violation of his rights. GSOC has told him it cannot give him the findings of its investigation because the Garda is still investigating. Meanwhile, he has had to put in a bullying and harassment complaint against his superior officer, a complaint that was handed in by an assistant Commissioner for the attention of John Barrett, which has never been received.

One could not make this stuff up. This is An Garda Síochána now, in 2017, and the consequence of the failure to relinquish political control of policing by not installing a genuinely independent policing authority. It is the consequence of appointing Nóirín O'Sullivan and leaving her in the position for so long. That is not personal because the problems in the Garda are systemic and the reform will not come from those who were spawned by the system.

We have the spectacle this morning of a further delay and a holding off of the appointment of the new Commissioner until 2018. Of course, we want to do the job right this time around but there are enormous concerns around any type of delay. Perhaps Kathleen O'Toole is positioning herself. Perhaps she is responding to the resignation of Conor Brady and the very valid points he raised about the lack of genuine political will to undertake serious Garda reform. Perhaps that is what her move was about. What is needed now, however, is not just moves but change being delivered. Today, as people continue to suffer because of our failure to implement proper policing reform, what is the Taoiseach going to do to protect the whistleblowers and address the deficiencies in the system I have highlighted while we wait for that change to be delivered?

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