merrion street

Minister Shatter responding in relation to Thursday’s Prime Time programme said “It is in the public interest that the allegations made of improper cancellations of Fixed Charge Notices by members of An Garda Síochána are dealt with thoroughly and with transparency. The publication of the Report of Assistant Commissioner O’Mahoney; the Report of the Garda Professional Standards Unit and the referring of these Reports to the Garda Inspectorate and the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality serve to ensure that public confidence be maintained in An Garda Síochána and that the integrity of the Fixed Charge Processing System is maintained.”

“Deputy Mick Wallace, on the Pat Kenny radio show five hours before Assistant Commissioner O’Mahoney’s Report was published, labelled the Report “a whitewash”. Some 33 hours after its publication he appeared on RTE’s Prime Time, admitted he had not fully read the Report, and again branded it a “whitewash”. Deputy Wallace, together with his other Dáil colleagues has, for the last six months, been using confidential information to denigrate and attempt to damage the reputations of a number of private individuals as well as the entire Garda Force. Following upon his asserting last night that the Gardaí should not, in any circumstances, use their discretionary powers to terminate Fixed Charge Notices regardless of any humanitarian issue, I believed it was a matter of public importance that those viewing the programme be in a position to assess the credibility of the Deputy’s position.”

“By making a pretence, for political purposes, that he is of the view that Gardaí should not use their discretionary powers in ease of a member of the general public whilst concealing the fact that Garda discretion had been exercised in relation to himself, Deputy Wallace was last night effectively asserting that discretionary consideration afforded to him by An Garda Síochána should not be extended to others. I do not believe such an approach to be either acceptable or credible. As stated by me on Wednesday in the seven essential principles that I published and furnished to the Garda Commissioner, in the exercise of their discretionary powers the Gardaí must I believe treat everyone equally.”