LATEST: Poll shows majority have no confidence in Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan
- Under-pressure Commissioner Noirín O'Sullivan has announced a series of Garda reforms.
- Assistant commissioner Michael O'Sullivan to head team investigating garda errors and report to Policing Authority.
- Noirín O'Sullivan said if individuals were found responsible, they would face penalties.
- Assistant commissioner Michael Finn will lead a new Roads Policing division.
- All 14,700 people wrongly convicted of road traffic offences will have convictions set aside.
- Commissioner O'Sullivan indicates that she will not resign if a Dáil vote of no-confidence in her is passed.
- Two-thirds of polls respondents have no confidence in Commissioner O'Sullivan.
A poll has shown that nearly two-thirds of respondents have no confidence in Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan to lead the force.
The poll carried out earlier today by Amárach Research for tonight's "Claire Byrne Live" programme on RTÉ, asked more than 1,000 Irish adults "Do you have confidence in Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan to continue to lead An Garda Síochána?"
It showed that 65% of people do not have confidence in Ms O’Sullivan, 14% do have confidence in her and 21% did not know.
The majority also disagreed with the Government's confidence in the Garda Commissioner.
When asked "Is Enda Kenny's government correct to continue to express confidence in Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan?", 62% said no while only 17% agreed.
Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan has outlined the timeline of her knowledge of the controversy surrounding breathalyser test figures on tonight's RTÉ Six One News.
Ms O'Sullivan said it gave the force no comfort to say it had identified the issues only disclosed a number of days ago.
Adding she had heard the "disquiet" around the latest revelations, the Garda chief vowed to drive through a "radical restructuring" of the traffic corps.
A review into the latest controversy to hit the force is expected to conclude initial findings within three months.
"We have to get to the bottom of where this problem is," Ms O'Sulllivan said.
"Who has done what and what has been done. We have to get to the bottom of this."
Garda Commissioner, Nóirín O’Sullivan has said that she was not aware of the exaggeration of garda breathalyser test figures until 2014 pic.twitter.com/B1wRXR9OHj
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 27, 2017
Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin has criticised the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice following today’s Garda press briefing.
“During her press conference today, the Garda Commissioner said that no deliberate distortion of facts or falsification of figures had yet been established. This is, quite literally, incredible,” he said.
“Commissioner O’Sullivan’s position seems to be that almost a million mistakes might have happened over recent years.
Nóirín O’Sullivan says there are 'potentially very serious ethical issues' at play with garda breath test records pic.twitter.com/BI2vwhAIij
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 27, 2017
“Exaggerated numbers of breath tests – almost a million of them – were recorded. Whether this happened deliberately or by mistake, somebody must accept responsibility for either position.
He added: “What we have seen today is further evidence of a culture in An Garda Síochána where no responsibility is ever taken.
“The Commissioner has announced that her investigation will focus on Gardaí, on supervisors and on managers.
“But if responsibility for this saga is spread this widely across the organisation, then it must also lie at the top level of that organisation.
“It is beyond time now that we hear from the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality.
He added: “The silence of the Tánaiste over the last few days has been startling. Indeed, it is becoming clear that Government has yet to comprehend the enormous damage done to public confidence in policing in this country.”
The Garda Commissioner has indicated that she will not resign if a Dáil vote of no-confidence in her is passed next week.
Noirín O'Sullivan insisted this afternoon that she has a job to do - including finding out what led to around million breath tests being exaggerated.
Justice spokesperson Jonathan O'Brien said earlier that a Sinn Féin motion is “essentially calling for the Government to enact Section 11 (1) (c) of the Garda Siochana Act 2005, which allows the Government to remove a Commissioner.”
When asked if she would consider resigning if the motion was passed, she said: “I have a journey of work that I have to do and I have to make sure that I see out that commitment”.
She added: “We have to keep the lights on while we’re re-wiring the house”.
The Garda Commissioner has announced an overhaul of roads policing after last week's revelations that roadside breath tests were hugely exaggerated.
Noirín O'Sullivan says she’s conscious of the damage of the breath testing and penalty point debacles is having on the force.
Commissioner O’Sullivan says Assistant Commissioner Michael Finn, who heads up the national roads policing bureau, will lead the new Roads Policing division.
Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan announces 'radical restructuring' of garda road policing network pic.twitter.com/9m1LwZSS5o
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 27, 2017
Commissioner O’Sullivan said a process was underway of looking at how almost 1 million recorded breath tests never took place – and said if individuals or groups of individuals were found to be responsible, they would face penalties.
Nóirín O'Sullivan says a report will be given to the Policing Authority and the Dept of Justice on the recent garda controversy pic.twitter.com/EAN860eRsA
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 27, 2017
An Garda Siochána has also announced that all 14,700 people wrongly convicted in court of road traffic offences will be contacted and a process put in place to have their convictions set aside.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said that he has confidence in the garda commissioner.
He told Radio Kerry today that this afternoon’s press briefing will give Noirín O'Sullivan an opportunity to provide an explanation around recent issues.
“This is a very important matter, and obviously the Minister for Justice will talk to me later on during the day and Government will consider this tomorrow,” he said.
“So I have confidence in the Commissioner – but it’s an opportunity for the Commissioner to set out all of the facts relevant to these particular problems, which are very serious.”
The Taoiseach says he expects the Garda Commissioner to explain the facts behind the penalty points controversy pic.twitter.com/Poc152n2QV
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 27, 2017
Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar has called on Sinn Fein to delay publishing a motion of no confidence in the garda commissioner Noirín O'Sullivan.
Pressure has increased on Commissioner O'Sullivan on the issues surrounding the breath tests and drivers being prosecuted in court for speeding offences after never getting the original penalty notice.
“It has been suggested, for example, that she may come before the Oireachtas Committee on Justice to give further explanations,” said Minister Varadkar.
“The Garda Authority has a role too, so I would really ask Opposition not to try to exploit this.”
Justice spokesperson Jonathan O'Brien said that the Sinn Fein motion is “essentially calling for the Government to enact Section 11 (1) (c) of the Garda Siochana Act 2005, which allows the Government to remove a Commissioner.”
Garda Commissioner Noirín O Sullivan will hold a press briefing at the Garda Headquarters at 3.30pm in relation to "updates concerning the issues discovered with administration of Fixed Charge Notices (FCN) and road side breath tests", the Garda Press Office has announced.
Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald did not ask Garda commissioner Noirín O Sullivan to step aside during a tense two-hour meeting with Ireland's most senior Garda this morning, .
The senior Cabinet held crisis talks with Ms O Sullivan at the Department of Justice between 9am and 11am after being forced to cancel plans to travel to Brussels for a joint meeting of European justice ministers this afternoon due to the growing scandal over the Garda commissioner's future.
The meeting, which was also attended by officials from both the Department of Justice and gardaí, was arranged late last night and saw Minister Fitzgerald and Ms O Sullivan discuss the "very serious issues which have come to light".
However, while there is growing Opposition pressure for Ms O Sullivan to step down in the wake of the phantom drink-driving tests controversy, the meeting was officially confined to the solutions which have already been put in place and unspecified further plans to address the situation.
It is understood that Minister Fitzgerald did not raise the prospect of Ms O Sullivan resigning over the latest scandal to hit the force during the two-hour meeting this morning.
However, it was made clear that a further statement from the garda commissioner explaining exactly what happened should be released before Cabinet and the Dáil meet tomorrow.
A garda press officer said this morning he is not yet aware of any plans for an additional statement from the commissioner.
