Byrne denies only 400 gardai on duty

The Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, has strongly rejected reports that just 400 gardaí are on duty around the State at any one time. Mr Byrne also confirmed yesterday that he would retire in July.

Mr Byrne told a meeting of the Joint Committee on Justice, Equality, Defence and Women's Issues that following reports in the media that only "a few hundred" gardaí were on duty at any one time, he directed all six Garda divisions around the country to account for the movements of all of its officers in the 24-hour period between 10 p.m. on April 28th and 29th.

During the period, 4,528 officers, 41 per cent of the force, were on uniform operational duties. Almost 1,200 detectives were on duty and 449 officers were doing plain clothes work, targeting activity such as pick-pocketing and street drug-dealing.

Just 671 officers were deployed on administrative duties, 2,395 were resting, 886 were on annual leave and 290 officers were on training courses.

Mr Byrne also moved to end long-running speculation that he might stay on in his position after his seven-year term ends in July. "I will be retiring then and that is that. I have told the \ Minister I will not be available after that date."

Mr Byrne said the findings of the recent leaked Review of Ireland's Road Safety Strategy report were difficult to believe.

If the report was accurate and speeding motorists stood a one in 1,400 chance of being caught, there would have to have been more than 25 million cases of speeding since penalty points were introduced, given that 20,000 licences have been endorsed so far.

Similarly, the report's finding that only one in 300 drunk drivers was detected was inaccurate. "I disagree with it entirely," he said.

Mr Byrne told the committee that although he welcomed new data showing serous crime was down by 9 per cent in the first quarter of the year, it was too early to say if this would be a prolonged trend.

Public order offences most concerned the public. The majority of offences were fuelled by alcohol and often compounded by cocaine-induced paranoia, he said. Parents also needed to accept responsibility for the behaviour of their children. "Very often the penny only drops when a child ends up in a Garda station. But to use a medical phrase, by that stage the patient has already caught the disease and is well gone."

The joint Oireachtas committee also heard submissions from publicans and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties on the final report of the Commission on Liquor Licensing. The ICCL said it was concerned proposals in the report giving publicans greater discretion to refuse would-be patrons might be used to discriminate against young people, large groups and ethnic minorities, including Travellers.

The Vintners' Federation of Ireland and Licensed Vintners' Association said the right to refuse was necessary to allow staff in pubs and clubs to maintain order. They also said plans for cafe- style pubs were not workable.