The Garda Representative Association has hit out at Government plans to establish a Garda Inspectorate, describing it as "sinister and dangerous". Joe Humphreys reports.
In an editorial in the recent edition of its magazine, Garda Review, the association said the proposed inspectorate could be prone to political manipulation by reporting directly to the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell.
The editorial suggested the Minister will selectively release information from the inspectorate to take "public credit" for its investigations.
Plans for an inspectorate were announced last month by Mr McDowell at a Garda graduation ceremony in Templemore.
Although the inspectorate was recommended by the Morris tribunal, the association described it as "the Minister's latest brainwave", and said it would duplicate proposals in the Garda Síochána Bill 2004 for an Ombudsman Commission.
"The setting up of an inspectorate to report directly to the Minister is sinister and dangerous. The Minister's secret police force would report directly to him; this is political interference at its worst."
It said the Minister "does not want the members of An Garda Síochána to be advised of the shortcomings of any particular policing initiative, or the overall policing requirements that prevail on any given day. No, the Minister wants to be advised secretly on issues of the force; then either to ignore some reports or take the public credit for others that create better news stories."