DESPITE ALL THE pressure on Martin Callinan in recent weeks, few people had expected the Garda Commissioner to step down when he did.
Callinan’s position had become increasingly difficult – some would say untenable – once Minister Leo Varadkar, swiftly followed by several other government ministers, called on him to retract and apologise for his comments about the garda whistleblowers.
The reaction to the news that he was planning to retire – rather than resign – just after 9.30am yesterday morning was swift.
While there was some sympathy, much of the reaction focused on three things: why he hadn’t apologised, why he had retired rather than resigned, and what this means for Minister for Justice Alan Shatter.
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Alan Shatter took almost eight hours to make a comment on the Commissioner’s retirement. His statement, released at 6.30pm last night, made no mention of the circumstances surrounding Callinan’s stepping down.
Instead, the Minister for Justice warmly paid tribute to Callinan and his service, saying that he believed his contribution to fighting crime in Ireland would be seen as his legacy.
Others were similarly circumspect: The Association of Garda Superintendents released a 49-word statement, which it said was to record its “respect and best wishes” for the former commissioner.
Others were less so. Transparency Ireland welcomed Callinan’s decision to go, but said Alan Shatter now needs to correct statements he made in public about the whistleblowers, Sergeant Maurice McCabe and Garda John Wilson.
“The record needs to be set straight,” said John Devitt of TI. He said that both the Minister and the former commissioner had sought to discredit the whistleblower allegations.
Both the Comptroller and Auditor General and Garda Inspectorate have vindicated the whistleblowers by exposing weak controls and widespread abuse in the management of PULSE.
It’s also significant that the Garda Inspectorate and Minister for Transport have recognised the contribution of both men [whistleblowers] in bringing this abuse to public attention.
It’s time that the Minister fo rJustice recognises this too.
Opposition parties differed on whether Callinan had been right to step down. Fianna Fáil TD Niall Collins said he had been effectively forced out, and the current crisis was one of the Government’s own making.
“The Commissioner was left in a very difficult position and his resignation follows the unprecedented politicisation of his office by Minister Alan Shatter,” he said.
Sinn Féin were less sanguine. “From the moment that the allegations from the two garda whistleblowers… emerged about widespread malpractice of the penalty points issue, the Garda Commissioner sought to downplay and even dismiss the allegations,” said SF TD Pádraig Mac Lochlainn.
“Worse, he repeatedly sought to discredit the credibility of the two whistleblowers which culminated in the outrageous ‘disgusting’ comment at the Public ACcounts committee”.
He said that Callinan had made the right decision.
The Government briefly thanked Martin Callinan for his “long and dedicated service to the State”.
In a statement, the Government Press Office said arrangements will be put in place for an open competition for a permanent appointment to the post of Garda Commissioner as soon as is practicable.
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