Shatter concerned at inappropriate use of Garda’s Pulse system

Minister for Justice and Defence Alan Shatter has said he expects to receive a report in coming days from Garda Headquarters following an investigation into allegations that members of the force were regularly expunging penalty points from thousands of motorists' licences.

Speaking at the opening session yesterday evening of the annual conference of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors in Sligo, said members of An Garda Síochána had a duty to operate a penalty points and fixed ticket charge system for motoring offences that the public could have confidence in. He also believed people against whom no wrong doing had been proven had a right to their good name and reputation.

He also expressed concern at the Garda’s Pulse computer database being accessed by members of the force checking on people and cases that had nothing to do with their work as gardaí.

“In this context, I believe that there are some important issues to be addressed concerning access to and the use of information contained on the Pulse system and I have asked the Garda Commissioner that he address this issue,” Mr Shatter said this evening.

He said of Pulse, which records convictions and intelligence on any person who comes to the attention of the Garda: “The system is a crucial tool available to assist members of the Garda force but it should in no circumstances be used as some sort of social network to be accessed out of curiosity by members of the force in the circumstances in which such access has no real connection with their duties or work in which they are engaged.”

Mr Shatter’s speech was met with silence.

His remarks follow the supply of information by two Garda whistleblowers to a number of independent TDs which they believe proves large numbers of gardai are abusing their power by wiping penalty points for motorists records.

Information on thousands of alleged cases has been passed to the TDs, which justice sources believe could only have been accessed on the Pulse database by the two Garda whistleblowers.

Some of those motorists to have benefitted from the alleged abuses include members of the judiciary, Garda members, journalists and well known sports stars.

The matter has been raised in the Dáil by Independent TDs Clare Daly, Mick Wallace and others. Since they started their campaign, some judges against whom allegations have been made have been named in the Dáil.

Ms Daly was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and handcuffed, though subsequently clear of any wrongdoing and has now made a complaint to the Garda Ombudsman Commission. And another Independent TD Luke Ming Flanagan has conceded that he had penalty points "wiped" from his licence.

Meanwhile, Mr Shatter also revealed this evening that while burglary rates had been rising in recent years, when the most recent set of crime figures becomes available for the final period in 2012 they will reveal a 10 per cent decline in burglaries in the Dublin area. He attributed this to the success of the Garda’s dedicated anti burglary drive, Operation Fiacla.

He also revealed total drug seizures for 2012 had reached around €100 million, which means Garda seizures of banned drugs last year returned to levels not seen since before the State’s economic collapse, before which high disposable incomes fuelled the recreational drugs trade.

Mr Shatter also reiterated his pledge to recommence Garda recruitment by the end of this year in order that numbers in the force do not fall below 13,000. The Garda currently has 13,400 members.