Policing Authority still waiting for Garda data on breath tests

The Policing Authority is still waiting for the Garda to furnish it with internal audits on the breath test scandal, or give "a clear sense" of how it is handling matters, according to the oversight body.

There has been a litany of calls for Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan to stand aside after revelations that 14,700 people were wrongly convicted of motoring offences and the number of breathalyser tests carried out was exaggerated by one million.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Policing Authority - the statutory body charged with overseeing the force - said it was “disappointed” it had not been advised “in a timely manner” that an audit into the breath test controversy was under way.

Furthermore, it said it had not been furnished with the necessary paperwork from the Garda in relation to how it is handling these matters.

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“Despite questioning over several months, the authority has not yet been provided with the full internal reports or indeed a clear sense of how these matters have been handled to date within the Garda, or the status and content of the audits which have been undertaken,” said the statement.

The authority said it had considered correspondence from Ms O’Sullivan in which she requested that it refer a number of matters to the Garda Inspectorate. However, the authority said it was “premature” to do so before it has received all the data from the force.

Further information

Instead, it requested further information be provided by the Garda on a range of matters to facilitate the authority’s further consideration of the controversy. This includes a copy of all existing reports, including audits or examinations.

The statement set a deadline of the end of this week for receipt of the data.

Furthermore, the authority asked for details from Ms O’Sullivan of the examination to be undertaken by an Assistant Commissioner, as well as the internal audits and timelines for their completion.

“The importance of supplying this additional information in a timely manner was emphasised to the Garda Commissioner,” said the statement.

Quality assurance review

Separately, the Policing Authority decided to engage expertise to assist it in conducting a quality assurance review of the remedial actions taken in 2016 to help restore confidence in Garda data.

The authority has been briefed on the outcome of Tuesday's Government meeting and said it would "engage further" with Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald on the proposed external investigation into these matters.

The authority had already planned and announced a meeting in public with Ms O’Sullivan on April 27th on the topic of roads policing.