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Leah Farrell via RollingNews.ie

Gardaí thank whistleblower Maurice McCabe for bringing the penalty points scandal to light

Gsoc today released a damning report showing the cancellation of around 75,000 fixed charge notices.

AN GARDA SÍOCHÁNA has thanked whistleblower Maurice McCabe for bringing the penalty points scandal to their attention.

Gsoc today released a damning report on the matter today which found that between 2009 and 2012, there were 1.6 million fixed charge notices (FCNs) and 74,373 cancellations of these notices issued.

There were 442 authorising members in this time – that is, members of the force who were authorised to cancel a fixed charge notice.

It cited one garda based in Dublin, for example, cancelled 744 FCNs across 17 counties. Furthermore, gardaí deployed to different units such as immigration and the drugs unit, whose remit wouldn’t cover traffic offences, were terminated FCNs.

In some cases, the FCNs were cancelled before the motorist would have been sent a letter to inform them they had one.

A statement from An Garda Síochána this evening thanked McCabe for all the work he had done on bringing the matter to light.

The statement read: “As we have previously stated following recent internal and external reviews into the Fixed Charge Processing System, An Garda Síochána recognises that the Fixed Charge Processing System did have systematic flaws and that some members of An Garda Síochána were using it in an inappropriate manner.

“An Garda Síochána would like to thank once again Sergeant Maurice McCabe who brought these matters to the attention of ourselves and other stakeholders. Sergeant McCabe has played a very valuable role in reform of the system.

“An Garda Síochána welcomes GSOC’s finding that the “procedures for dealing with fixed charge notice cancellations have dramatically changed in recent years”.

The Disclosures Tribunal, at which McCabe is at the centre of, is examining allegations  that there were attempts to smear Maurice McCabe by then-Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan’s legal team at the O’Higgins Commission – an inquiry set up to investigate his claims of malpractice.

With reporting by Sean Murray 

Read: Gsoc to drop probe into fixed charge cancellation scandal because ‘cost outweighs benefit’ >

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    Mute Linda Hegarty
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    Dec 13th 2017, 12:18 PM

    Wishing you and your family all the best Peter.

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    Mute John O'Shea
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    Dec 13th 2017, 2:25 PM

    @Linda Hegarty: Elvis, I love your song Blue Christmas. (Has as much chance of reading the journal as Peter Kay)

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    Mute Colm Connolly
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    Dec 13th 2017, 2:29 PM

    @John O’Shea: considering he lives in co.clare most of the year you never know

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    Mute John O'Shea
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    Dec 13th 2017, 5:09 PM

    @Colm Connolly: I always knew the was alive.

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    Mute Shea Fitzgerald
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    Dec 13th 2017, 1:33 PM

    That’s a very heavy choice to make and I’m sensing a lot of pain behind it. I hope everything works out ok for you Peter.

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    Mute Eugene Walsh
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    Dec 13th 2017, 12:27 PM

    Hope all is well but he went down like a lead balloon on late late recently

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    Mute Frank Dubogovik
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    Dec 13th 2017, 12:36 PM

    @Eugene Walsh: did he..I’ll have to Google that…he was on Johnston ross show recently & he was on top form/brilliant

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    Mute Aidan Mitchell
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    Dec 13th 2017, 1:59 PM

    @Eugene Walsh: I thought it was class

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    Mute Ger
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    Dec 13th 2017, 3:06 PM

    @Eugene Walsh: I thought he was hilarious on the late late.

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    Mute Vincent O'Halloran
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    Dec 13th 2017, 4:35 PM

    @Eugene Walsh: He was brilliant on the Late Late Show. He had the audience in the palm of his hand, even got an elderly woman to walk again!

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    Mute Declan Mannix
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    Dec 13th 2017, 8:30 PM

    @Vincent O’Halloran: he was out of control on the lafe late show. Definitely hyped up on something. He was lucky it seemed to work out and the elderly lady didn’t get hurt.

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Dec 13th 2017, 2:05 PM

    This is not good news. I wish him and his family the best.

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    Mute ⚡ Seánie ⚡
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    Dec 13th 2017, 12:28 PM

    He’s entitled to a day off work like any of the rest of us.

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    Mute DarkHorse
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    Dec 13th 2017, 12:39 PM

    @⚡ Seánie ⚡:

    Are his tour dates not for 2019?

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    Mute Dave Harris
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    Dec 13th 2017, 2:12 PM

    Pity those who bought of done deal etc for face value. Now the original buyer gets paid twice for the tickets. Less sympathy for those that paid over face value

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    Mute Fergal Kelly
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    Dec 13th 2017, 8:33 PM

    @Dave Harris: ouch :/

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    Mute Stevie Doran
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    Dec 13th 2017, 1:40 PM

    How much will he make from the ticket booking fees?

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    Mute Aidan Mitchell
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    Dec 13th 2017, 2:00 PM

    @Stevie Doran: zero

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    Mute Neal Ireland Hello.
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    Dec 13th 2017, 2:29 PM

    I see the “Everything is a scam or a conspiracy” brigade have finally turned up.

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    Mute Free comment ratings
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    Dec 13th 2017, 7:10 PM

    @Stevie Doran: 20 billion hundred and 50 euro.

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