Sir, – As a former member of An Garda Síochána I am glad that Mr Callinan has decided to resign as commissioner, both for his own sake and for that of his family.
It is sad to see any commissioner being backed into such a position, but it may allow the spotlight to shine more clearly on a Minister for Justice who has used the commissioner for too long as a shelter from criticism.
Mr Shatter has decimated the Garda since he came into office. He has denuded the force of stations, manpower and transport, leaving us with a skeleton force. When opposition is expressed to his decisions, he will say that the commissioner runs the force. The truth is that the commissioner was not allowed to run the force.
When I joined An Garda Síochána, I found it to be a force subservient to politicians and that has changed very little since. I vividly recall a case in Boyle, Co Roscommon, where a sergeant who raided a licensed premises after hours and found a high-ranking member of government there, quickly found himself transferred. He was only saved by his representative association (the AGSI), who took up his case and had the decision reversed. This was far from being an isolated situation.
While we now have calls from politicians on all sides for an independent police authority, I would remind them that the Garda Representative Association and the Association of Garda Sergeants & Inspectors were calling for such a body more than 30 years ago. One former minister for justice at the time opposed the suggestion, saying “It would be giving excessive control to a police authority”. At that time, and through the intervening years, there was no political party in favour of a police authority and members of An Garda Síochána of all ranks are well aware of why that is the case. Yours, etc,
TONY FAGAN,
Bellefield Road,
Enniscorthy,
Co Wexford
Sir, – The Garda Commissioner should not have had the option to resign. He should have been dismissed because the moment he let the word “disgusting”pass his lips, he revealed that his attitude toward accountability comes from a different era and is unacceptable in a modern police force.
His departure raises the question of the process that will be put in place to choose his successor. Not only must this process be transparent and open to external candidates, but the remuneration agreement reached with Mr Callinan before he resigned must also be made public.
It is also essential that the two whistleblowers, whose bravery in standing up for ethics and integrity in the face of what we now know was massive pressure from vested interests who preferred the ways of the past, are given adequate recompense. Yours, etc,
DESMOND FITZGERALD,
Canary Wharf ,
London
Sir, – Since the Watergate scandal it has frequently been the case that people in public life in various countries have insisted on learning the hard way that the cover-up can do them more harm than the scandal it is supposed to hide. In Ireland the variation is that the cover-up is an effect rather than an intent. The Garda whistleblowers are heroes who should have been welcomed with open arms (to say the least. The fact that Alan Shatter and Commissioner Callinan treated them in precisely the opposite way was a cover-up in effect (regardless of intent) and that was a bigger scandal than how any penalty points system "works". At least let us hope that those in Irish public life will have learned this lesson for future scandals. Yours, etc,
FRANK DESMOND,
Evergreen Road,
Cork
Sir, – “If he (Martin Callinan) stays in office, the message goes out that it is still normal, in official Ireland, to be nauseated by troublesome truths,” writes Fintan O’Toole (March 25th). I could not agree more. I have the highest regard for the whistleblowers who had the courage to speak out. In a democracy, lack of accountability and lack of transparency should worry us all. My late father grew up in the Ukraine and Poland, under a totalitarian regime. In those days, people were thrown into prison for expressing the “wrong” ideas. Need I say more? Yours, etc,
INGRID NACHSTERN,
Eglinton Road,
Donnybrook,
Dublin 4
Sir, – No doubt PAC member Mary Lou McDonald will be crowing with delight at the resignation of Martin Callinan. I do believe that the Commissioner’s “disgusting” remarks were inappropriate and intemperate (and should have been unreservedly withdrawn) but I would sooner embrace his morality than that of his inquisitor. Yours, etc,
GEOFF SCARGILL,
Loreto Grange,
Bray,
Co Wicklow
A chara, – Minister Shatter is an intelligent man, but seems incapable of seeing the simple truth. He is supposed to be the representative of the citizens and to look out for our interests. In months of endless scandals however, he has not been on our side. He has defended the establishment against the interests of the people, and neglected their legitimate concerns. The people no longer have confidence in him as their representative at Justice. In the light of the growing list of scandals and with the security establishment he sought to protect having buckled under much-needed scrutiny, how can the politician trusted with this portfolio remain above question? How can his position be tenable? Is mise,
JOE BYRNE
Schoolhouse Lane,
Dublin 2
Sir, — I have personally felt that Mr Shatter has been unfit for the office of minister for justice ever since he used confidential Garda information to smear an opponent in a political debate. His ongoing difficulties are only teaching us how much his colleagues are willing to tolerate before they feel the need to withdraw their support for him. Yours, etc,
SEÁN HOGAN,
Fisherman’s Grove,
Dunmore East,
Co Waterford
Sir, – The Taoiseach and Alan Shatter backed the wrong person, Martin Callinan. Martin Callinan didn’t back the right persons, whistleblowers McCabe and Wilson. Disgusting! Even though Callinan didn’t apologise, he did have the courage to do the right thing by resigning.
KEVIN DEVITTE,
Mill Street,
Westport,
Co Mayo
Sir, – Martin Callinan must get his Irish Times early ("Disgust means Callinan must go", March 25th). Yours, etc,
GP McHUGH,
Somerton Road
Belfast