Bill leaves gardaí ‘open to accusations of bias’

GARDAÍ will be left open to accusations of bias as the new Ombudsman Commission is not a totally independent body, a garda representative body believes.

President of the Garda Representative Association Michael Kirby said he wanted the new commission to be completely independent of the force because of a strong public perception that members could not investigate themselves.

“It has not done that because it’s a sort of half way house, where gardaí investigate some issues, and may or may not be supervised,” said Mr Kirby. The lengthy Garda Bill, described by Justice Minister Michael McDowell as one of the most important pieces of legislation in the life of the government, contains details of the three-member Garda Ombudsman Commission. He hopes the bill will be enacted before the summer recess and has earmarked €1 million to establish the commission so it is up and running as early as possible.