Commissioner protects identity of those let off penalty points

Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan has moved to quell speculation about the identities of thousands of people, some of them well known, who have had their motoring penalty points terminated in recent years.

The Commissioner issued a statement saying it would be wrong to reveal people’s identities before the full facts of the matter come to light.

He said the allegations over the past fortnight had been based solely on the examination of records on the Garda’s Pulse computer database.

Those now putting details into the public domain were doing so without “complete knowledge” as to why decisions were made to terminate penalty points.

“In those circumstances, it is very unfair – both to members of the force and to the people who were the subject of the notices – to assert wrongdoing in the absence of a determination of the full facts,” he said.

He said an internal Garda investigation had already identified “dangers” in that regard and promised that their investigation would be rigorous and that the Garda was fully committed to enforcing road traffic laws.