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DURING A ROBUST round of questioning of Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan and two members of her senior management, Clare Daly used her own personal experience with traffic policing to examine the current scandals around fixed charge notices and breath testing.
At a Justice Committee hearing this morning, the Independents4Change TD was trying to establish a correct timeline on when the gardaí knew there was an issue with court summons – and when they fixed it.
According to Deputy Commissioner John Twomey, an IT solution implemented in May 2016 ensured that it is “not technically possible to issue a summons for a Fixed Charge Notice [offence] without [a FCN first being issued]“.
“I wonder how you could tell me then that I was summonsed to the CCJ on 12 December last year for an alleged motoring offence which allegedly took place in March of 2016 where no FCN was issued,” Daly countered.
“I don’t think I’m that special, to be honest. I know it’s a fact because I’ve got a few FCNs before, I know what they look like and if I had got it, I would have known.
Coincidentally, on receipt of a FCN that I actually did get in October last year, I was in Naas Court and met some people there who were there precisely because they hadn’t got a FCN and had been summonsed to court.
“They spent a day in that court and because they were pleading not guilty, the judge adjourned and they had to come back another day. Now that was in October and December of last year.”
Daly then questioned if the committee could believe what garda management was telling it, given the contradictory evidence directly available to its members.
“The point here is that we have – the public in particular – have the reality posed in front of them where they cannot trust information coming from senior garda management,” she continued.
Twomey noted that a FCN being issued does not ensure it will be received.
“Are you saying all those cases are on the fault of An Post?” Daly asked.
Twomey did not put blame on the postal service, but did say that gardaí are now confident in their current IT systems.
O’Sullivan said that Daly’s specific experience would be examined – and that management would be “happy” if it identified further issues.
Apology
The embattled Commissioner faced questions from all committee members this morning about the two current controversies dogging An Garda Síochána.
Making a statement on the FCN problems and the revelations that almost one million breath tests recorded never actually happened, she apologised for “the grave mistakes and wrongdoing during the last decade that have led to the two controversies we are here today to discuss”.
“Those mistakes and wrongdoings are unacceptable in policing terms, unacceptable in ethical terms, unacceptable in terms of public trust, and, most critically, unacceptable to the advocacy and support groups involved in road safety and to those who were wrongly brought to court,” she continued.
They have raised serious issues about how we managed the service, how certain Gardaí operated on the ground and their supervision. Given the scale of these issues, they can’t simply be blamed on one individual or one area. It is a collective failure. From top down to bottom up.
She also conceded that further problems with the force’s data could emerge in the future.
“When we turn over stones, we will find things that are wrong,” she said. However, she noted that she has no indications on what areas within the organisation could be problematic.
Daly would want to watch her back or the Gardaí will stitch her up again. Covering up and stitching credit where credits due, the Gardaí are great at that sort of stuff.
@Les Behan: http://m.independent.ie/irish-news/11m-in-payouts-for-55-victims-of-donegal-garda-corruption-26469346.html
etc.
@Benjy Dooley:
Answer the question, How is the strike affecting you Conor?
It’s a simple enough question, on a topic that you have not stopped posting about so why wont you answer a simple question?
How is the strike affecting you?
@Benjy Dooley: You know you can put all those links in the one comment right? The return, copy and paste buttons are you friend.
@Les Behan: The Gardai now are like this… http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3742339/Horrified-man-wakes-living-room-covered-dog-poo-shares-hilarious-drawing-trail-poop-tastrophe.html
Political policing was brought to bear against a duly elected member of the Oireachtas who refuses to affirm and identify with the cozy consensus of the status quo. Just admit it Noirin. We’ve got all the time in the world and there’s just you and us here. Like a glass of water Noirin? A ciggie maybe? Just tell us the truth then and we can all go…home. You, perhaps permanently.
@John O’Driscoll: Well said.
The harsh reality is that FF and FG will support the Gardai no matter what abominations they’re responsible for. All police forces including our own are a political tool of the ruling class. So in a capitalist nation they are routinely deployed as a mechanism to control and suppress the majority working class as seen recently in their attempts to crush the water charges campaign. Commissioner O’Sullivan’s husband led the surveillance operation ( called Mizen) to spy on the water charges campaign activists.
This is why FF and FG, the primary Irish parties of capitalism are so reluctant to take their enforcers to task in the face of irrefutable evidence of corruption at the top. And it’s why the government folded to the Gardai pay demands last year. The Irish state desperately needs the Gardai onside for the many battles to come as the working class struggles against its exploitation.
@Benjy Dooley: you forgot to mention APPLE
Anyone ask o Sullivan how a whole warehouse full of cars can be burnt down when it was an obvious target,the incompetence is strong with her.
@Dave cullen: what about the bloke who stole an APPLE from the fruit and veg shop is she ment to police everything herself
She is only a scapegoat unfortunately ,these problems won’t go away weather or not she is their .let her have 6 months and if nothing happens for the good then let her o her way .
NOT when she is to ring more and more wrong doing everywhere in the Garda
@owen kirwan: Thanks for reminding everyone about how we all subsidize the giant parasitic fruit.
How many “No way, we won’t pay” placards does €188 buy these days Benjy Dole
@Benjy Dooley:
Spot on , and to add a fact, when you have people politically appointment where do you think their sure alliance is , definitely not with the ordinary citizen / the main tax payer, one law for the well connected and then there is the law most of know
@Cathal:
You pay for our placards through the taxes which cover the Solidarity TD’s salaries. And we thank you for your contribution :)
@Benjy Dooley: Try supporting yourselves, my taxes shouldn’t go for some workshy layabout to reinvent himself as an “activist”.
@CeannairBlue: We especially enjoy spending your money :)
@Benjy DOLEY Get a job
@Cathal: Go back to the FG Fraperoom if you’ve nothing sensible to add, child.
@Cathal: I would’nt say people on 188 euro a week would be able to buy many placards. But of course you knew that already. i’ll ask you a question, if the government say that Gardai operational matters are a matter for the GS without interference from government, fair enough. How come operation Mizzen was set up to spy on don’t pay water activists, and this operation was so important that Noirin O Sullivan appointed her husband Chief Superintended Jim Mc Gowan to head it up. In all honesty do you think that was not a directive from Government and that political policing does not occur.
@owen kirwan: she is part of the overall problem and nothing will change till she toddles off..
The Kremlin in the Phoenix park know who Ms. Daly is, her car reg and her movements, and will have marked and unmarked cars watching out for her, the price of speaking out against the Blue Cabal…!
@Dub_Right: You reckon they’re competent enough to pull that off, then?
@Ben McArthur: When it comes to the protection of the Blue Cabal they can be very effective…!
In the same way as they magically appear in force anytime a government interest is being protested against, while simultaneously being ‘short of numbers’ when it comes to tackling the drugs and crime ravaging towns and cities..
Watching it .. hogwash from o Sullivan… Woman needs firing immediately… What is wrong with the government????
@LITTLEONE: Can’t let a domino fall or they’re all in trouble.
@LITTLEONE: the shortest possible answer to that question is everything
@LITTLEONE: Having to give here a pay off of 5 years salary as she’s only 2 years into a 7 year term
@Steve B: absolutely terrifying.
@LITTLEONE: It’s simple. The government and the establishment need a corrupt police force. Otherwise the corruption would have to be answered for.
@LITTLEONE: i fear she might have too much knowledge and seems like the kind of person that might protect her interests, no matter what.
as @Rochelle says, she could be the first in a long line of career devastating dominoes.
i just wish people would fess up on these matters.
@LITTLEONE: Did you see Enda smiling at Merkel today??? Followed by the cringing thumbs up to her, yikes…
@Steve B: sack her for gross incompetence
Shower of bent basxxxds
@declan burke: Can you explain what you mean by that reply
@declan burke: http://m.independent.ie/irish-news/11m-in-payouts-for-55-victims-of-donegal-garda-corruption-26469346.html
I’ve been watching it. Fudge fudge, legacy issues, plainly not answering questions. Absolute mockery of the situation. I guess when the government has told her that they have her back she feels she can just pass this off as an inconvenience.
Ah this is a pure farce now. O’Sullivan is answering nothing, she’s literally a law unto herself. Taking about ‘internal enquiries and reviews’ will do absolutely nothing to assure anyone anymore.
This is all on the back of the Maurice McCabe inquiry and all of these huge and serious issues have occurred under Noirins watch yet she has the neck to blame ‘System issues’ and state ‘no one person will be blamed’ which is a roundabout way of saying that she, the head of the Garda, is not in any way to blame. Can someone explain that one to me?
Give her the payout, and the usual fat pension that is given out for incompetence in this country and set her off to pasture then get in outsiders to re structure the Guards, have an internal amnesty that allows for divulgence of wayward practices so they can be corrected. At the end of the day the general public dont want the force to fail but they seem to be one of the sickest of the state or semi-state bodies yet they have the most responsibility to society.
Possibly got lost in the post Claire? It’s been known to happen.
@Soccer T’s: Gardai later reported that 10M fines had been lost in the post.
@Soccer T’s: Possibly. Or possibly massive police corruption.
@その男、凶暴につき: 10 million? Are you sure?
@Mark Gearey: Probably. The government need them to be corrupt. You can’t have a non corrupt political police force. It wouldn’t work.
@Soccer T’s: Too many things get lost these days…
Except tax men and politicians?
It points one thing to me some Gardai working somewhere should not have a Garda job and I hope they will find themselves in Court facing serious charges if wrong doing is found to be the case nomatter what rank they hold.
It been well know for years that a few members of the Garda thought they were above the law and could do what they wanted. They pulled strokes and collages looked the other way as they may want a “favor some day” or they didn’t want the hassle. This is Ireland we dont deal in black and white, its to small of a country for that everyone nearly has a connection to someone in the Garda and would ask for a speeding ticket to be quashed, this meant ordinary decent Garda had to stay quite as some day they might need to get their neighbor, friend or family member off. No one can claim the high moral ground that they didn’t (wouldn’t) look for a personal favor if in a similar position. But now all these things are on a data base and can be easily sourced and scrutinized. Garda now have targets as to the number for tickets they should issue, or checked to be carried out, like breathalyzing every 5 driver doesn’t make scene but its what they are at to hit targets. But some Garda are still thinking old school and that they can do what they want. There was an old Garda in our village, he never really arrested anyone, he went to nearly every match in the local pitch from under 12 up to senior so he knew everyone and everything that was going on. He would remind you to leave your car at the pub or tell your parents if he noticed you hanging around the town with the “wrong crowd”. In a way he done more to protect the community than what is been done now. I feel sorry for genuine Garda who are now going to be all labeled guilty by association. And may of the people (politicians) are guiltier of far bigger crimes than any of the Garda.
@Anthony O Reilly: Totally agree!
A little garda birdie told me the car lot was torched on the orders of senior Gda management as cars were regularly ahem! borrowed ! out of it by Gda officers for ther own long term personal use .. Destroying all records and burying the evidence…
Fair play to Clare Daly..all the Right questions and all the Rong Answers…great work .Clare….
like i said the other day; i was brought before a judge, having told the garda involved that I never got received the FCN. I was threatened by the judge with an even higher fine on top of the FCN and the court fine when I protested that I never received the FCN. I bit my tongue and walked away as I could’ve have been held in contempt for saying I was innocent. There was no evidence to deny my innocent, just the ill-informed opinion of someone who treated me like some nuisance.
how many other cases in this country have been brought against innocent people and judges have disregarded the only evidence in favour of their biased view of people.
I would actually like to think my name will be removed from any list relating to this, that the ruling will be reversed on the basis that it should never have been brought to court, that the sitting judge admits he got it wrong, and that my fine, with compound interest, will be returned alongside my fees for a full day waiting around for a wrongful hearing, and that some acknowledgement of the stress and anxiety I felt when stood up in a court and ignored in front of my peers. I would like a full page apology, personalised to me, in the relevant local and national media. I have some hope of that…………lol
@Living The Laws: Same happened to me in Navan Court a few years ago. Shutting your mouth is the only option.
@Dave Doyle: sorry to hear that Dave. Terrible situation that we have to shut up because we are challenging the authority of someone who hasn’t bothered to check out our evidence that it never arrived. I stated this on the day the summons was handed to me. I said it a few times when following up with local traffic corps. I specifically contacted the garda dealing with it and was told that I should tell the judge. I told the judge and was threatened. the basic assumption is that we are all guilty. it is no wonder that people are anxious when they see a cop car in the rear view mirror.
@Living The Laws: judges are political appointments, they deal in justice the way they are to to by their masters.
““When we turn over stones, we will find things that are wrong,” she said.” However, if a member of the force turns over the stones, they seem to be systematically bullied out of the force. I have great confidence in her ability indeed.
Watch ff say that they have confidence in her after today they have been looking for away to do that since mehole lost the run of himself at the weekend
Does that woman even own a decent pair of clothing? Is she going out of her way to show disrespect to others?
A shower and a hair cut would be nice too.
@Fred Jensen:
Who cares, Mick Wallace took down a Minister for Justice looking like a destitute Michael Bolton. These folks are proving to be real opposition, it’s impressive.
Can you imagine how different things would be if Clare Daly was Minister for Justice.
@Fred Jensen: yeah,if she wore a uniform she’d get more respect,look at o Sullivan taking down the whole force to satisfy her ego,nice uniform though.
@Soupy Norman: and shatter was vindicated. So Wallace did what??
@Alan Brogan: Steal from the country by fiddling his VAT wasn’t it ???
Or is “being on the rob” a political act now ?
And to Claire Daly – you were brought to court because you broke the law you mad bint.
@Fred Jensen: going for the player and not the ball.Ad hominem , when you’ve lost the arguement attack the person.
@Fred Jensen: Fred youre a moron.
@Soupy Norman: Mick Wallace is trying to deflect from his own crime of tax evasion. He started with the last one and moved on to this commissioner with the help of Ms Daly ,When Garda go after him witch I hope they do he will accuse them of a witch hunt. Let’s see where all the assets went .
@Soupy Norman: I dread the thought….
@Soupy Norman: l dread the thought….
@Fred Jensen: so ” that woman” is elected to our Dail where she has been forced to highlight her personal experience to contradict, with facts, information being given to the Dail by a Deputy Commissioner of Gardi.
And all you can do is comment on the lady’s appearance rather than fact that The Deputy is at best inept or worst lying to his bosses!!!!!!
@owen kirwan: have fun voting fg in the last election ? Those who do have no cause to criticise the left here oh and Daly is one of the few with actual competence and integrity.
@Fred Jensen: Is that the best you can offer Fred? A personal attack on a person doing the job she’s paid to do.
Unlike the uniformed mafia there. Who do the job as required by the corrupt.
No amount of decent clothing, washing, or a hair cut will do away with the layers of corruption endemic in government or the Gardai.
@Seán Domhnall O’Sullivan: Nah just a troll.
Ceannairblue must be a guard. He had the attitude and the company line off to a t
You only have to read the Fraperoom comments attacking Daly and Wallace to understand that FG do support the corruption in the Gardai 100%.
But then FG need the Gardai to be corrupt, otherwise many of the front bench would be behind bars.
Well done Clare ! We need more of your sterner stuff.
Nice one Clare, the shoe on the other foot now Commissioner, bet you hated her questioning you!
So we have two politicians fighting for justice. One who was guilty of tax evasion and another who was issued with a bench warrant because she chose not to bother going to court.
Yea, real pillars of justice there. Hypocrites the pair of them and their involvment only undermines the process of getting to the core of the issues within the guards.
@Jimmy Ireland: stick with the story Jimmy …Daly and Wallace have done more service in this Dail than all the rest have done between them
@Jimmy Ireland: She was the last on a list of 188 cases, of which over 120 were for speeding.
The Independents 4 Change TD is charged with travelling at 59 kph in a 50kph zone at Ballymany, Newbridge, on New Year’s Day.
When her case was called in the afternoon, Mr Finan said his client had been at the court earlier in the morning and chose to leave.
Judge Desmond Zaidan said the defendant had to be present in court or he would issue a bench warrant for her arrest….Zaiden loves the headlines and knew he would get large ones over this ,But dont let the facts get in the way of your rant .
@Jimmy Ireland:
you should take the word Ireland off your avatar there. people might think you are one of us. you are clearly one of them……
@Jimmy Ireland: look at the evil, corrupt self-serving in nice suits….great bunch of lads, keep the recovery going and move along, nothing to see here.
Commissioner knows what is under all the stones and throwing this out so she can claim legacy issues.shes long time in force,and helped with the cover ups.
anyone else just at a complete loss for the clear lack of impartiality? why was Pearse’s strong line of questioning interrupted and Noirin appeased? I want to vomit
Ah here now, what makes her any different to anyone else. Political policing mehole.
@Old Gordon: Her ego apparently!!!
She drank and drove. Crime. End of.
Old Gordon. Another appoligist for corruption.
@CeannairBlue: Great example of Truthiness. Short memory there, when she wasn’t actually convicted of any such act, thus committed no crime.
@CeannairBlue: You are making lying statements.
@CeannairBlue: She had a hot whiskey at a family members house because she had the flu. She was stopped by the Gardai, handcuffed and spent the night in a cell. The whole thing was a farce.
@Dave Doyle: No.
She was accused of a crime. So you go to court to answer for it. If you didn’t do it, then you have a chance to say so.
She was NOT arrested for political reasons – but because she was suspected of drink driving. Which she admitted.
https://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0129/365174-clare-daly-gardai/
She was cleared later on of course but that is what due process is for.
@CeannairBlue: Are all drivers suspected of drink driving handcuffed on the side of the road and brought to a Garda station or just those asking awkward questions?
@CeannairBlue: You support corruption. You support political policing. You make statements that are not true.
@CeannairBlue: as you say yourself she was SUSPECTED of drink driving…and found not to be over the limit..so it’s not quite ‘ Crime. End of’
You mor@n!!
@CeannairBlue: have you made Inspector yet?
@CeannairBlue: you are a Garda, were you part of her arrest team? No amount of whataboutery will hide the fact the commissioner is untrustworthy, she is part of the old corrupt system and suffers from the same cover it up thinking.
@ger o’ dwyer: handcuffs are only applies if the subject is violent physicslly or verbally or is deemed an escaper. This was a POLITICAL statement by a corrupt police service, done as a warning to put pressure on a TD that does not toe the line. Why was she kept in overnight, no need for that either.The whole arrest stinks.
Just wait til we get started on the other scams. Tip of the iceberg. Later on shes asked wheres all the seized drugs gone.. doesnt asnwer as usual. Wait til they look at the car theft figures, and whos stealing them and where the cars end up that people have been told are “written off”…
Well done Clare Daly.
Very few people in Leinster house speak with such truth and conviction.
And those of whom you speak are regularly found wanting with their own versions of truth.
More luck to you.
What has dalys personal driving offence got to do with the current situation? Daly would want to be asking why is the garda siochana publishing misleading information. Not impressed with her personal vendetta. Roll on the next general election, hopefully we’ll get it right this time…. doubt it.
@Johnnie Sexton: read the article again…try and take it in.
@Gus Sheridan: I read it once and once is more than enough. Dalys attempt at political points scoring couldn’t be clearer.
@Johnnie Sexton: obviously another fg ff voter
@Johnnie Sexton: the vendetta was against Daley. But a government apologist wont admit that.
No wonder the commissioner was smiling ,she has the support of two main parties ,she will waffle on and no one will be held accountable .No member of the Gardai will be sacked ,” We investigated ourselves ,and did nothing wrong ” will be the answers given .. Commissioner just needs to tap her folder ,let it be known she has files on senior politicians ,Smile and have the “full support ” ,How many coverups have the gardai done for politicians ? ,speeding ,drink driving ,dodgy business deals ,tax avoidance ,murder ?
They wouldnt be as quick to go and use a warrant to arrest someone who owes money to others,waste of space,the whole public sector is an overpaid sham.
She and her gang tried to do you Clare for youe and Mick’s questioning her and her soldiers practices.Go get her and show her (Noreen) no mercy.The public are sickened by the antics of this untouchable cilque.
Clare go and brush your crazy hair
@Bootz Tully: Why should she? Maybe you should wash your brain. Gotcha
@Mark Gearey: wash my brain really? Can u explain that one to me please
@Bootz Tully: yes, her hair. That’s the issue we should all be focused on here.
@Bootz Tully: he means instead of leaving it at the door on your way in here, why not get it dry cleaned so that such drudge as you type does not ooze out uncontrollably.
@Living The Laws: i can assure you that when i type such drudge it is fully controlled
@Bootz Tully: Which makes it all the worse.
@Bootz Tully: whats her hair got to do with rooting out police corruption exactly?
@Bootz Tully: you are thick, I think thats what the implication is
Serious problems with the Irish public though. Did they all just think that this was process? Or perhaps they knew there was a mistake but felt they were the exception to the rule?
Garda She Con ya
The Wallace and Daly show goes on and on, is there no end to these two taking the same old wringers stance debate after debate.
@James Keogh: ? Askign the head of the copshop why shes a blatnt liar, even fg were asking her shy shes a liar today..
@James Keogh: and digging out corruption on your buddies
With Brexit triggered what are the Gardai still doing in Ireland. Euro Pol are our police force in the EU.
@Les Behan:
How long will this farce continue?
How long will the justice system be corrupt?
@Christy Nolan: For as long as the people of the country allow it?
@Bootz Tully: Clearly his ladybird brain pops out and he gives it a scrub along with Daly’s bra and tax dodgers pink frock.
@Thomas John Keeley: Another idiot member of the corruption supporting fraperoom.
@Thomas John Keeley: red thumb
@Thomas John Keeley: how are things at fg headquaters?
I believe she and her staff should step down with immediate effect. As all this happened on her watch.
They may be good with words but that is all I’m hearing
I don’t
God i hope all ye nay sayers never get robbed, beaten or attacked and need the gards coz like those Muppet’s Daly and Wallace ye all seem to think that ye need is the magic fairy will solve every thing or that the law, who ever enforces it doesnt apply to ye…!
@#knowingitall: nothing to do with rank and file officers you muppet, its the corrupt lot in senior management, the ones who fiddle stats yo make themselves look good. Dont think our Noirin is the one who will show ip if you call 999,
have your say