The Garda Bill introduced by the Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, leaves the force open to political interference, the Opposition claimed last night.Separately, the Garda Representative Association said the new system for investigating complaints did not go far enough to ensure the process was completely independent of the force.
Fine Gael's justice spokesman, Mr John Deasy, said a provision allowing the Minister for Justice to issue a directive to the Garda on any policing matter amounted to a huge change in the Government's relationship with the force.
"This would make Michael McDowell the chief of police. I don't think it's a good idea to have politicians directing the Garda Síochána and I certainly don't want Fianna Fáil issuing directives to the Garda Commissioner," Mr Deasy said.
"He needs to explain that. It's entirely open to abuse. Would you trust a Fianna Fáil justice minister to issue a directive to the Garda Commissioner in relation to an investigation into a planning matter?"
Labour's justice spokesman, Mr Joe Costello, criticised Mr McDowell's refusal to have the Garda answer to an authority whose membership came from the community as a whole.
"The lack of such an authority, to act as a bulwark between the Commissioner and the Government, means that there will continue to be an inappropriate degree of political interference in senior Garda appointments, at every level above those of garda, sergeant and inspector," Mr Costello said.
Noting the Ombudsman Commission would be able to engage serving gardaí, he said such officers might investigate complaints against their past and future colleagues. This had the potential "to undermine completely the real and perceived independence of the commission".
The Greens said the Bill failed to provide a completely independent complaints procedure. The party's justice spokesman, Mr Ciaran Cuffe, said he was concerned that the provision allowing serving gardaí to work for the new body meant it would be "compromised from the outset".
Sinn Féin's justice spokesman, Mr Aenghus Ó Snodaigh, was not convinced that the Bill provided "sufficient civilian oversight, transparency and local accountability".
The general secretary of the GRA, Mr P.J. Stone, said it was too early to make a definitive statement on the Bill. Its effectiveness from a policing perspective could only be judged with time, he said.
"The overall impression is that the Minster is trying to satisfy a thirst - I don't know where it's coming from - from those who want to see Garda reform," he said. "It would have been much preferable to have a wholly independent system of investigation."
