Discipline is important but far more important to any organisation is good morale among workers - discipline will not achieve that. It takes time and leadership, writes Denis Bradley
Anyone who took an interest in the issue of policing was well prepared for the findings of the Morris tribunal.
But even the people who were prepared will have been shocked and stunned when they saw its latest reports in all their starkness.
Morris pulled no punches. His language in describing the extent and the nature of the problem is as hard hitting as one could ever expect to be found in an official report.
We now know the extent and depth of the problem. The structures, the discipline, the morale of the Garda are in an unhealthy condition.
It is not confined to Donegal, it is right across the country.
Gardaí themselves have to take some responsibility for the unhealthy state of their organisation.
Greed, ambition, self-protection, the human tendencies that underpin decay and corruption, were all present for many years and the upper layers of the organisation as well as the ordinary officer cannot shrug off responsibility for that.
But neither can successive governments shrug off their responsibility. As far back as 1968 the seeds of the present malaise were visible to anyone who had eyes to see.
It was that year that an independent commission of inquiry under the chairmanship of Judge Charles Conroy was established. Ostensibly, it was to inquire into a dispute about pay and conditions.
But Conroy was appalled by the administration and internal workings of An Garda Síochána.
He was particularly struck by the control the Department of Justice had over the force.
Even the most minute aspects of the force's affairs were controlled and determined by the department.
The final report suggested that a policing authority of some nature be established that would put some distance between the department and the Garda Commissioner.
That never happened. Unfortunately, that proposal is not part of the new Garda Bill.
Many of the other recommendations that were contained in the Conroy Report are to be found in the new Garda Bill.
But, strangely, this central and transforming proposal is not there.
A policing authority puts distance between the government of the day and the police but it does more. It reduces the possibility of cronyism.
It provides a greater possibility of transparency and openness. It symbolises the need for integration between broad civic society and those who implement the laws of that society.
It is a forum that facilitates debate, research and the tensions inherent in change.
It also gives the ordinary officer some more confidence that the organisation that she or he has signed up to is being managed by a group of people who have the long-term interests of that organisation at heart.
Government is often seen as maximising short-term interests.
The latest Morris reports major on discipline and the initial response of Michael McDowell concentrates on that aspect.
Fair enough, but also dangerous.
Discipline is important but far more important to any organisation is good morale among the workforce and a sense of working in a professional and effective atmosphere where high standards are the norm.
Discipline, in itself, does not achieve that.
It takes time and leadership. Leadership, not just at the top but also at all levels of the organisation.
That means that authority and power has to be devolved and shared.
It would be a mistake to move authority from the Department of Justice and put it in the hands of a few people attached to headquarters in Phoenix Park.
Michael McDowell could also be a problem.
Powerful and charismatic men are necessary to shake things up and to confront vested interests.
McDowell has done that and for that he deserves great credit.
But strong and charismatic men often do not know how to let go.
He has resisted putting distance between his department and the Garda.
As some kind of compromise, he has appointed a four-strong civilian group, chaired by Maurice Hayes, to advise the Garda in change management.
This new body was announced a few weeks ago and was probably some kind of preparation for the release of the Morris reports.
I don't think it is very clear what their precise role is and I would make a guess that the Garda are not clear as to what their role is either.
It goes without saying that good policing is one of the most important issues facing the country.
A reformed and re-energised police service would be a great gift. A demoralised and ineffective one will bring more hardship and heartbreak.
Morris has done his work well. The Government, the Garda and the Irish people need to ensure it is not another lost opportunity.
The history that surrounds this issue would not fill anyone with great confidence.
The Conroy Report was handed to the minister for justice, Mícheál Ó Móráin, in January 1970.
That was 36 years ago.
An opportunity was lost then. It could be lost again.
Denis Bradley was until recently vice chairman of the Policing Board of Northern Ireland