McDowell accuses garda group chiefs of ‘insolence’

JUSTICE MINISTER Michael McDowell yesterday accused garda representatives of being “insolent and disrespectful” towards the Garda Commissioner in the ongoing row over the Garda Reserve.

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) had described as “shameful and unbecoming” the manner in which minister and the commissioner attended a conference of the British Special Constabulary in England, and comments they made while there.

GRA president Dermot O’Donnell last Sunday described the visit as a “PR stunt”, while the GRA general secretary PJ Stone described it as a “junket”.

Both accused Mr McDowell and Mr Conroy of “stealing away” to Britain to attack members of the force. Mr O’Donnell described it as “shameful and unbecoming conduct”, while Mr Stone said it was the “greatest insult” leveled at gardaí by a commissioner.

Speaking to Irish media at the conference, Mr Conroy said the Garda Reserve was going to be implemented regardless of the opposition of the garda associations.

Speaking on Morning Ireland, Mr McDowell yesterday hit out at the GRA: “They’ve used language in relation to the commissioner which I regard as very insolent and disrespectful. They said he had stolen away to a conference, which he hadn’t; it was well flagged in advance.”

And he attacked descriptions of the visit as a PR stunt or a junket.

“I’m a bit surprised at them describing this as a junket, as Dermot O’Donnell, the president of the GRA, actually contacted the conference organisers last Thursday and asked to be included in the conference. He was told he left it too late. If he had contacted them earlier they could have made provision, which is a pity.”

Mr O’Donnell described as “unfair and over-the-top” the comments from the minister.

“I would consider it stealing away. We were never informed about it,” he said.

He confirmed he had asked to attend the trip, despite calling it a junket.

“We would certainly have taken every effort to go along, then it wouldn’t have been a junket, it would have been a fact-finding mission.”

Responding to a forthcoming debate on the Garda Reserve at the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party and critical comments by FF Cork north west deputy Donal Moynihan, Mr McDowell said the Government had made its decisions and was united on it.