THE Garda Commissioner regrets he became embroiled in a political argument over "zero tolerance", but he is "delighted" he spoke publicly on the issue.
Mr Pat Byrne said the "zero tolerance" policing policy advocated by Fianna Fail meant different things to different people. It was important to establish exactly what was meant.
"I'm very sorry that I got stuck in the middle of a political debate; that is one place I do not want to be. But I am not going to sit idly by, as the old saying went, or silent above in my office, because that's not the away I do my business. I think I have a responsibility to speak out on issues that not only affect me but more importantly the men and women who have no police this country."
But he added: "I am delighted I spoke out on it because now we have a debate on it".
The Commissioner, appearing on the RTE radio programme Liveline, said that "personally I don't tolerate any crime" but he was faced with policing a State, and had to decide priorities. "We cannot ignore crime but I'm a realist and we live in the real world," he said.