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FORMER JUSTICE MINISTER Alan Shatter says that gardaí use the Pulse crime tracking system as a social network.
Speaking to Pat Kenny on Newstalk earlier today, Shatter said that the system was used for “gossip”.
Shatter said that he had raised concerns over the access of the system with then-Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan in 2013.
He said that the issue of improper access had been highlighted by the treatment of independent TD Clare Daly in January 2013, who was stopped while driving in Dublin.
That incident was later leaked to members of the press. Shatter said he had raised this issue with Callinan.
“I asked about what security was in place to ensure the system was accessed appropriately.
I was subsequently advised that in excess of 150 members of the force had accessed the Pulse system – some of them seem to think it was some sort of social website that they could look up for gossip purposes.
“It was absolutely correct that the guards involved in an incident and their superiors have access to an incident, but not guards across the country.”
He said that one of the cases in which reports say that journalists’ phone records were accessed was the Daly affair.
As I understand it one of the investigations that GSOC have been engaged in that gave rise to controversy over the last ten days has arisen out of a complaint that Deputy Daly made as to how that information got into the public domain.
“Of course, they were also as I understand it, investigating how some of the background circumstances into the death of a very well-known model, Katy French, got into the public domain.”
Separately, he said that he had “Cabinet ambitions” if he and the government are returned in the upcoming election.
“Any deputy who assumes he is going to be returned is very foolish,” he added.
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Suited him to use pulse information to attack Mick Wallace . What a hypocritical clown.
Shatter is actually an incredibly stupid human being , doesn’t say much for politicians or his profession. I’ve seen sharper melted crayons .
They talk so much s’ite and tell so many untruths , they don’t even know what they are saying anymore.
I had the opportunity to run Alan shatter down today as he crossed the road (illegally) in front of me. I still don’t know why I slowed down
Dont these gardai know that only the justice minister ,the garda commissioner and their trusted busy bodies are the only ones allowed to abuse their access to our countries intelligence systems???
While some people are correct with their comments the reality is the journal seems to be like a press office for SF, AAA, PBB etc. People with made up names a fake accounts posting negative comments about positive stories. Thank god Ireland isn’t as bad a the left make it out to be.
The Authorities in this country are corrupt at every level I have zero respect for any of them, cover ups, neglect of duty, back handers,cronyism, nepotism the list goes on and on and on.
littleone, they know what they’re saying, they’re banking on people just remembering their latest statement/misdirection. It’s opportunism. Watching an Irish current affairs panel discussion with Irish politicians, they can’t go more than two minutes with contradicting a previous statement on the same discussion. It’s amazing! I’d suggest a drinking game based on this, but it would lead to liver failure/alcohol blood poisoning during just one show. Please don’t try this at home!
He’s not stupid when it comes to charging. He’s the most expensive solicitor in dublin apparently.
Shatter Would know, how else would he have found out that a Garda pointed at Mick Wallace when he was on the phone when driving.
Much more civilised when you can just gossip with the commissioner
I have no doubt that Shatter is correct. No-one is wrong ALL the time. In my experience, people often misuse the tools/information at their disposal. SW/Local authority staff also snoop on people for the purposes of idle curiosity and gossip.
I can vouch for the fact he’s correct as my own were accessed and leaked to a third party so as to intimidate me after I did some digging that made both the gardai, and a contractor that takes seized vehicles from roadside checkpoints when their tax is out uncomfortable. The contractor the cops were handing the vehicles to, wasn;t named on the contract. A totally different contractr was and he was subletting out the work in breach of the original contract. Gardai gave the guy my details and history and he used it to try and threaten me.
The fact that you have a record to be accessed in the first place doesn’t help your credibility.
And what do you know about it, Dave? What do you know about my credibility? “A record” means a record of my information. I don;t have a criminal record. Anything you’d like to add about the cops handing over details of citizens to private businesses? Or is a throwaway comment your best shot at it?
If Pulse is used for what it was intended, recording criminal records and criminal intelligence, then I fail to see how you have any credibility. No business information etc. should be kept on it unless you have come to the attention of the Gardai. If your info is stored on it you have a right to see it and request under FOI.
Nonsense. Pulse records hold recording crime; traffic management; firearms licensing;driver licences;
insurance;, character vetting are all held on the pulse system.
Lock me up and throw away the key Judge Dave, eh?
Pulse Is used for road tax which has nothing to do with criminal activity.
FOI ahahaha in Ireland best of luck with that. If they refuse 25k a day in the high court to challenge it .
I still don’t see how legitimate information like car tax etc. could be used to intimidate someone?
Under EU legislation FOI requests must be replied to within 4 weeks. I can’t see any reason to refuse unless the release of information would breach data protection for a third person and even then they would have to convince a judge.
The details of criminal incidents on pulse also includes the victims info too, so regular law abiding citizens may have their info there with nothing to taint their credibility.
Pulse is used for any and all records of you relating to vehicles ,firearms , criminal activity or suspected criminal activity .
What type of information about me can the PULSE system hold?
The PULSE system contains information about:
recording crime;
traffic management;
progression of criminal cases through the courts, including the outcome;
firearms licensing;
driver licences;
insurance;
character vetting.
Pulse is not just for criminal records; it has car registrations and owner names and addresses for ALL car owners, the vast majority of them law – abiding.
Why do we still have to listen to the dribble that comes from Shitter sorry Shatter he knows all about the miss use of Garda information Could we hope it’s the last we hear of this fool
Hardly surprising. They should’ve known the system was being misused when Guardai started entering in crime descriptions using only emojis.
Who da f*ck even cares
I just updated my Pulse status to In a relationship.
For the majority I would assume the pulse system is used for work related activities only and acessed in a professional manner. Like any organisation the size of the Gardai there will be always a few that maybe test the boundaries. I would also suspect any use of the pulse system inappropriate way would be dealt with .
There should be the SAME restrictions here as there are in the UK for Police Officers accessing private citizen information.
There have been criminal charges brought against UK Police Officers who did this type of thing and the same should apply here!
I heard there are so many people on pulse they cant keep track because most of the people have no record and some are even guards themselves.
I had my shop door interfered with and I got a letter with a pulse number to my home address, I never gave them my home address and I’ve never been in trouble with the law at any level.
The look it up on the electorate register.
That was in response to Dave.
I live 30km away in another area, I’m actually registered to another address as I moved in the past 6 months . Which was changed but not sure if it is updated yet.
Only 2 things in my name at that address is health insurance and car tax.
Come on I don;t think many of us could resist especially if it’s local news!
I do agree with Alan shatter but the irony, it’s a slippery slope the high old moral ground when his gossip on Wallace live on television helped ruin his time as minister. We are all under survalince, look at all the gardai playing GAA . People’s constutionial right is not a priory and never has. But it’s not a bad thing if a rapist or child molester moves into your area would you not want to know. If you are employing someone why not check out their past. It’s when it used for blackmail, tenant issues or False information is circulated. It’s a Garda job to be nosey and without understanding the benefits.
So you reckon that the garda in your local GAA club is putting information on PULSE about all the other members? Talk about paranoia.
“We are all under survalince (sic), look at all the gardai playing GAA” hahaha Lmfao……I’ve heard it all now…
For a politician who I couldn’t believe lasted as long as he did as Minister of Justice, it’s not smart to point fingers at others. Shatter’s personal and professional reputation was in pieces by the time he was forced out.
It’s puke inducing to see Shatter siding with Clare Daly against the treatment she was subjected to by our “finest”.
Why didn’t he come to her defence at the time it happened ? Because he was 100% in cahoots with “disgusting” Callinan in their cover-ups.
But now, come election time, he’s having a Pauline conversion. When you take into consideration how he used the same leak-culture to score a (backfiring) point against Mick Wallace, you have a measure of this HYPOCRITE.
Go away shatter,you are a dangerous man.
The lesson to be learnt here is that you should never trust a cop. The movie Serpico is great at illustrating this point: “We do our own laundry around here Frank”.
Once it wasn’t used by them to know where to buy some hash?
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