The union representing rank-and-file gardaí has insisted tonight there is "no softening" of its position of "outright opposition" to the Garda Reserve.
PJ Stone
And the Garda Representative Association (GRA) claimed to have "strong information" that the Department of Justice is "falsifying the levels of public interest" in the Garda reserve and of using the results from "telepolls" as artificial evidence of high levels of public interest.
It was reported earlier this week that the two biggest Garda representative associations had told their members to co-operate with the Garda Reserve recruitment process after the Department of Justice made acceptance of the reserve force a precondition to Garda wage increases.
In a statement following two days of meetings on the issue, GRA general secretary PJ Stone said: "We find it quite disturbing that the Department would employ such duplicitous tactics to solicit support for this inherently flawed Garda Reserve, spending taxpayers money.
"This association has not changed its policy on the Garda Reserve one bit and we view comments made to the contrary as highly deceitful. The GRA is advising its members that the policy of non-co-operation still stands and should the Reserve be implemented, its recruits will not be welcomed by those of Garda rank."
The body said its decision last week to process Reserve applications was "forced upon its membership against their will". But it added that the association would not break the laws of the land "and therefore they must assist in the process of applications".
"We are having this part-time policing alternative forced upon us. However, we remain firm in our opposition to it and reiterate that we will not cooperate with it," Mr Stone said.
"We have advised our members to reject any pay rises that come on the condition of the acceptance of the Garda Reserve. It is a flawed proposal which deprofessionalises the difficult job we do and in turn cons the Irish people by failing to provide the properly resourced, properly manned full-time service that they so richly deserve."
A Department of Justice spokesman denied the accusation that it had been falsifying levels of interest in the Garda Reserve and said the "simple fact" was that there had been over 6,400 applications to join the reserve force to date.
Those applications were being dealt with by the Public Appointments Service, the spokesman said.
On the question of 'telepolls', the spokesman said there had been research conducted "earlier in the year" by an independent research company. No more recent polls had been conducted, he said.