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THE CHAIRPERSON OF the Policing Authority has said that she has a “degree of confidence” in the ability of Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan to carry out her duties for the duration of the Charleton Tribunal.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Sean O’Rourke, Josephine Feehily stressed that she has confidence in O’Sullivan’s ability to do her job now, but she questions whether this would be the case when the Tribunal was up and running.
Feehily said that it was vital that all voices get heard in the inquiry, and that it should move at a pace that should bring an end to a “saga” which is “potentially corrosive” to policing and to garda morale.
When asked if the Authority was concerned about the ability of senior management to fulfill their duties when the Tribunal gets underway, Feehily said: “Yes, of course we are”.
We asked the commissioner yesterday to assure us in that regard. She certainly gave us considerable assurance, but we will continue to ask that question.
I would say we have a degree of confidence, but we are concerned. I’m not saying that that’s a deep concern at this point. The tribunal hasn’t begun.
Feehily added that they had intended to flag that concern, and raised it in a public forum yesterday.
When asked what would happen if the events of the Tribunal “increased these concerns”, the Policing Authority chairperson said that they would “wait and see”.
Protected disclosures
She also said that the authority had found some deficiencies in the policy of An Garda Síochana on the issue of protected disclosures, which is when a worker discloses action they believe to be wrongdoing in the area they work in.
“We shared those back with the gardaí,” she said. “They accepted some of our recommendations. Some took a little bit of encouragement for them to accept and others have not been accepted just yet.”
Issues of contention between the Policing Authority and the gardaí in terms of protected disclosures came in the form of the motivation of protected disclosures and who was responsible for handling protected disclosures.
She said that the Policing Authority was keen to understand how An Garda Síochana is creating “an environment for speaking out”.
Brendan Howlin
Labour party leader Brendan Howlin gave his reaction to Feehily’s comments, saying that he welcomed her making a public statement on the matter.
“To hear the view of the chair of the [Policing] Authority on this critical matter is important,” he said.
Howlin said that it was a priority that elected representatives ensure that An Garda Síochana remains “effectively managed to the best of its ability”.
The Labour leader added that for the gardaí to be effectively modernised and run to the best standard, then O’Sullivan should step aside “without prejudice” while “retaining her good name” for the duration of the Charleton Tribunal.
Speaking yesterday at the public meeting of the Policing Authority, the first public questioning for O’Sullivan and her senior team since a tribunal was called into an alleged smearing campaign against garda whistleblower Maurice McCabe, O’Sullivan said that she was frustrated that “inaccuracies” in the public domain have not been openly corrected by management.
“A lot of inaccurate information goes into the public domain. We have to address whether we always balance it,” O’Sullivan said. She added that some of this information was “very personal – not just to me”.
There’s lots of frustration on behalf of some of our members – a lot of our members – in terms of the inaccuracies that are portrayed about the…Unfortunately, and I think [Assistant Commissioner] Eugene [Corcoran] touched off it earlier, unfortunately some of those inaccuracies we cannot correct at the moment and there needs to be an understanding of that from our own members.
Take your time Leo sure there’s no rush
I’d love a drink a chat, with a few of my friends. I’am not lonely or anything, just a few pints and a laugh with friends.
Course it will need to be reviewed, the backlash over this has been huge and even the FFG back benches realise, they will find it very hard to get re-elected if they basically go along with the same restrictions and rules as last summer when we didn’t have vaccines and nothing bar a 9 euro meal has changed, meanwhile people will head north or out of the country soon as the digital green cert is in place. Hard to convince people who own or work in hospitality, aviation or the entertainment industry to vote for your party that basically has thrown you under the bus for over a year and still is keeping ya there even with vaccines
Meanwhile nearly all open in NI, walking around masks are extremely lax in shops, a lot of people not wearing in stores and nobody seems to care! Feels nearly like 2019!
@kevinhunt101: they are also a few months ahead of us on vaccinations having opened the 18+. We are still at 44+. Give it time.
@Paul Clancy: Give it time???…they are trying to extend the covid powers till November, they are talking about extending PUP till September and the fact they are flip flopping round reopening aviation and hospitality fully, even when we reach the same time line as Northern Ireland did, tells me things won’t be anywhere near the same. Too many need to realise, its not just a virus we now have to worry about, but also the health of the countries finances, cos another recession is the last place we need to go since we haven’t even paid off the previous one yet.
Musicians and other performers should give themselves two rules
a) creating underground spaces for art
b) stop performing whenever a member of the current government is present… even after the pandemic
There is 0 scientific reason behind outlawing live music for more than a year. Maybe you can gaslight people with indoor reasons but there’s no reason why music can’t be played in an outside setting…
So if you’re sitting a a restaurant eating you can’t be there for more than 105 minutes because you could become a close contact. But if you are sitting in a restaurant attached to a hotel you are staying in that risk doesn’t exist? How on earth does that make sense?!
@Melissa OHara: It doesn’t but none of this government’s decisions have made any sense. Their appalling ineptitude keeps rolling on.
@Melissa OHara: it almost makes one hate hotels
Its a Farce.. all Dining indoor and outdoor should open at the same time.. at least its a level playing field.. scrap all time constraints as the virus has no time limit.. and allow live Music.. what harm is it doing.. look at the sport.. hugging and celebrating with each other and no harm there.. Restrictions are pushing everyone to their limits..open the place up.. Save jobs…!!!
He will probably leak it in a few weeks!
what he means is put in mad rules and see what the baclash is
Neck with two heads
It should be reviewed now, not after the summer
He will probably leak in a few weeks!
Genuine Question, Why are Faite Ireland making the rules now when it previously was Government with NPHET advice
@SandraMeyler: my thoughts exactly. WTF do Failte Ireland know about infectious disease
@SandraMeyler: because apparently our government doesn’t know how to do anything
backlash
Oohh. Can’t wait to get me a substantial meal!!!
The elephant in the room is a drunken cohort who can’t or won’t behave like civilised human beings, even if there was never a pandemic. The drinking time limit is really an attempt to limit the amount of alchol a person can consume on the premises, so that some people won’t become unmanageable. However, although ireland apparently has relatively high booze taxes, and some recent token demarcation gestures per buying booze, it is still to cheap and easy to stock up in supermarkets and neighbourhood shops, and then there’s the irony of drink readily available in petrol stations. …. i wonder how covid19 deaths and long-Covid statistics compare to harm by overloaded livers, domestic violence, streetfights, drunk driving, hungover driving etc. etc.
have your say