Gardaí are the best paid public servants in the State and it was "not open" to them to obstruct the Garda Reserve, Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has said.
He also said that the two biggest Garda representative associations have threatened a similar policy of non-cooperation with the new Garda Ombudsman Commission in an effort to render it "inoperable".
Mr McDowell told delegates at the opening of the annual conference of Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) in Killarney, that he had been "extremely disappointed" by the threatened action by AGSI and the Garda Representative Association (GRA).
The AGSI last night denied they had threatened to withdraw their co-operation.
Mr McDowell reminded delegates that it was the duty off all members to uphold the law and to comply with the instructions of their superior officers. "I pay for the best and I expect the best," he said, adding that the average weekly earnings of members of An Garda Síochána were €1,090.
He rejected suggestions by the AGSI that he had ever failed to support An Garda Síochána.
"Respect for An Garda Síochána is in my blood. In the dark days after the Morris tribunal I have always said the vast majority of gardaí are people that I respect and whose feelings of betrayal I share."
Responding to earlier comments at the conference by the president of the AGSI, Paschal Feeney, who described the Garda Reserve as "auxiliaries", Mr McDowell said such language was unhelpful.
"The gardaí shouldn't be seen to dump on volunteerism; they shouldn't use terms like "auxiliaries" to besmirch the civic commitment of people who want to help them. And they shouldn't hide behind a blue wall because it will only arouse public suspicion and public hostility. And the Garda Síochána as a whole will be the loser."
He insisted that the AGSI needed to negotiate with him on the implementation of the reserve force and that he was willing to compromise on some aspects. "If somebody wants to discuss with me the proposition that 4,000 is too many and that 1,400 is a better figure, I'll discuss that with anybody.
"I'm not drawing lines in the sand, save on one fundamental issue. The Oireachtas has decided the issue and it is my duty to implement the will of the Oireachtas." He was also open to the creation of an independent grievance commissioner, who would preside over internal complaints, similar to the Defence Forces Ombudsman.
Earlier Mr Feeney launched a strong attack on Mr McDowell.
He said the trust between the AGSI and the Minister had disappeared to such an extent that the association "does not accept your good faith when you say you support the gardaí". He described Mr McDowell's approach to the Garda representative associations as "an insult" because he did not consult with them when the plan for the reserve force was being drawn up. "No wonder there's a complete lack of trust between you and us Minister."
Full-time members of An Garda Síochána were shocked to hear that Garda reservists, or "pretend policemen", would have all the same powers as them and would even wear the same uniforms. "They [ reservists] will not be an assistance, Minister, they will be a hindrance and they will further divert gardaí from real time police work as we act as shepherds for these sheep," Mr Feeney said.