Commissioner apologises for offence

GARDA Commissioner Martin Callinan has apologised for the offence caused by rape comments which initial reports indicate were made by gardaí.

The commissioner said he had transferred four gardaí under investigation and confined them to administrative duties pending the completion of an independent investigation by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC).

A fifth garda investigated has also been confined to administrative duties.

In a statement, the commissioner said he was “deeply disappointed” by the contents of an internal Garda report which “indicated” the comments were made. He has forwarded the report to GSOC.

He appointed a superintendent to establish the facts surrounding a recording which appeared to show up to three gardaí laughing and joking about raping one of two female protestors they had arrested at a protest against the Shell Corrib gas project in Co Mayo last Thursday.

The three gardaí were among five members of the force travelling in a patrol car whose conversation was, unknown to them, being taped on a video recorder they had taken from the women.

“On receipt of allegations about remarks made by members of An Garda Síochána I immediately appointed a superintendent to establish the facts of the matter. I have now received details of his report,” the commissioner said.

“As Garda Commissioner I am deeply disappointed by its contents which indicate that this conversation did take place between members of An Garda Síochána and that the words reported were used.

“I am sorry for the offence caused to the community we serve and for the hurt and pain felt, in particular, by victims of sexual crime. As I stated earlier this week, An Garda Síochána aspires to the highest standards of professionalism in our investigative and operational work, but this must be combined with respect, sensitivity and compassion in our dealings with the community. Our policies, our training and our actions must always reflect these principles.

“I believe that this incident does not reflect the views or sentiments of the vast majority of gardaí who are out in the community every day working to protect and secure people’s safety. I am conscious, however, that people’s trust and confidence in our integrity must always be earned and maintained and as Garda Commissioner my promise is to ensure that we will continually work to protect these vital and important aspects of our relationship with the community.”

Justice Minister Alan Shatter told the Dáil: “It is a matter of regret to me, but not a surprise, that some people have used this most regrettable and unfortunate incident to bolster a campaign of vilification against An Garda Síochána that they have engaged in since the start of the Corrib Protests. The strategy is simple: To harass the gardaí as much as possible so as to impair their capacity to do their jobs in the hope that this will frustrate the building of the pipeline.”

GSOC investigators are now in Mayo and will interview the five gardaí in the coming days. They have not yet managed to speak to the two women and were last night still trying to examine, and get a copy, of the original recording.