Republican News · Thursday 8 August 2002

TD calls for resignation of Garda Commissioner

Aengus ó Snodaigh TD, Sinn Féin spokesperson on Justice, has called for the resignation of Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne following the suspension of three Gardaí in connection with the Frank Shortt case.

The Sinn Féin TD accused the Commissioner of deliberately "burying his head in the sand" in relation to Garda corruption and wrongdoing.

"It is not good enough for Commissioner Byrne to now stand with the Minister for Justice wringing their hands in relation to the corruption that has been exposed in the case of the wrongful conviction of Frank Shortt," he said. "Pat Byrne has been well aware of the accusations of wrongdoing against senior members of his force for sometime. Yet he did little or nothing about it. He has deliberately buried his head in the sand in relation to the issue Garda corruption.

"It is wrong to suggest that this is confined to a few so-called bad apples in the Garda Síochana in Donegal alone.

"There have been numerous complaints against members of the force going back decades and it was obvious that the complaints procedure in place had neither the ability, independence nor inclination to deal with the manner honestly. The Gardaí are not infalable. They are as prone as any other section of society to corruption and misconduct. The only sure way of protecting the integrity of the Garda and ensuring public confidence is to provide an independent ombudsman and complaints procedure.

"As the most senior Garda officer, Pat Byrne must take full responsibility for the behaviour of members of his force and for the fact the issues surrounding cases like Frank Shortts were only investigated after public disquiet became too great. He should now do the proper thing and resign his position."