THE Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, has defended the force against the suggestion that there is "widespread corruption" among gardai.
The Commissioner confirmed that senior gardai are investigating allegations of corruption in one part of Dublin and in Cork, but he said speculation and reports of widespread corruption were "just not true".
Mr Byrne said the inquiry in Dublin arose out of the activities of one former member of the force, while the Cork investigation concerned allegations made by another garda which have not been substantiated.
He rejected the suggestion that he has mounted an investigation of corruption across the force, and said the Cork and Dublin inquiries are the only ones under way.
Responding to the concerns of a senior garda in Cork who believes allegations of corruption could tarnish gardai in the city, Mr Byrne emphasised that the Cork inquiry has yielded no evidence of corruption.
The Cork investigation is being headed by Chief Supt Sean Camon, head of the Central Detective Unit, based in Dublin.
"A chief superintendent has been appointed by me six to eight weeks ago to examine allegations - and I emphasise the word allegations at the moment - into improper behaviour of members of the gardai in Cork," the Commissioner told RTE.
"These allegations were made by a member of the Garda Siochana of garda rank, and I think it is important to state at this stage that no officers are being investigated, because we cannot substantiate the allegations at this stage, because of the lack of co operation by the person who made the allegations.
"So I think in fairness to the members in Cork it is important that people realise we have to look at the allegations. If there's some substance to the allegations we'll then investigate the people involved in whatever activity that they're alleged to be involved in, but we must have a basis for it first of all.
"When you don't have co operation from the person who's making the allegation, you can imagine how difficult it is."
Mr Byrne said the Dublin inquiry also arose out of the activities of one member of the force. The inquiry is being headed by Chief Supt Michael Carty, formerly of Cabra station in Dublin, who is due to take up a post in Ennis, Co Clare.
The Commissioner said this investigation involved "reported breaches of procedure in a particular area in Dublin".
"We're talking here about breaches of procedure in relation to summonses, warrants, passports. And whatever comes out of that will be followed up. Whether it goes more widespread than that I don't know at this stage."
Mr Byrne said he was concerned at the suggestion that members of the force were linked to criminal gangs and to the killing of the journalist Veronica Guerin, who was shot dead last June. "The suggestion that members of the force were involved in some conspiratorial way with a drugs cartel in Dublin and were linked in some way to the murder of Veronica Guerin, there is absolutely no basis for this at all, it's untrue", he said.
He confirmed that one investigation of a garda in Dublin has resulted in a file being sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions. Inquiries into two other gardai were "found to have had no substance whatsoever".
One of these two cases is understood to concern a garda who arrived with a heroin smuggler at Dublin Airport. The garda, who was acting undercover, left the terminal building when the smuggler was stopped by Customs officers.
The case concerning a detective in Dublin, on which a file has been sent to the DPP, arose from business links between the detective and a criminal in the city.
The investigation being run by Chief Supt Carty arises from a garda who signed passport forms to help secure passports for criminals. This garda is believed to have been on a "retainer" paid by a criminal gang and to have quashed warrants and summonses on their behalf.