Academic warns of more Garda scandal

IRELAND NEEDS to be wary of the potential for another scandal in the Garda Síochána, the author of a new book on the Morris tribunal said last night.

International cases show a cycle of policing in which scandal is followed by reform and intense supervision, but is then followed by another scandal, Queens University Belfast law lecturer Vicky Conway said.

"We don't want other people to experience what the McBreartys and others in Donegal experienced," she said. Ms Conway was speaking at the launch of her book The Blue Wall of Silence: The Morris Tribunal and Police Accountability in Ireland.

The book was launched by president of the High Court Justice Nicholas Kearns. He said it was a “very fully-researched book” which dealt with “an aspect of policing in this country which caused the gravest of concern”.

Ms Conway expressed “serious concern” about the failure of Government to sufficiently address inadequacies in the Garda Síochána. “We are not improving safeguards but are expanding powers, especially in terms of gangland crime” she said.

The way gardaí conducted interrogations remained a “big problem” and reforms called for by Mr Justice Frederick Morris “had not been implemented”.

A changed Garda culture would be difficult but was needed to deal with the “concerning” issue of gardaí defending each other through a sense of loyalty.

“We could quite possibly not have needed the tribunal if gardaí had told the truth in the first place,” she said.

The control given to the Minister for Justice over the force was among the problems that remained in accountability, she said. The Minister’s power was increased despite Mr Justice Morris pointing to a lack of trust between the department and Garda headquarters.

Ms Conway called for increased public dialogue about what was expected of the Garda and what problems were seen in the force.