Minister and garda commissioner disagree over how public proposed offenders register should be

The justice minister had previously likened the proposed register to the list of tax evaders that is published on a quarterly basis

Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan said the purpose of the register is to protect people who enter into relationships unaware that their partner has a history of violence. File Picture: Sam Boal/Collins

The justice minister and garda commissioner are at odds over whether a proposed sex offenders register would be made public.

Minister Jim O'Callaghan previously committed to creating a register of those convicted of rape, serious sexual assault, or domestic violence — which would be available to the public.

The Justice Department is currently working on proposals on the register and Mr O'Callaghan said he would be extremely concerned about introducing any scheme that might be used for vigilante purposes.

In Templemore on Friday, Mr O'Callaghan said that, while he understands such concerns, the purpose is to protect people who enter into relationships unaware that their partner has a history of violence.

"A conviction is a public event and people are informed. If [the media] are in court, then the public get to hear about it. If [the media] are not in court, they don't get to hear about it," said Mr O'Callaghan.

When first speaking on the matter two weeks ago, Mr O'Callaghan likened the register to the list of tax evaders that is published on a quarterly basis.

However, speaking at the same event in Templemore on Friday, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said: "The names are not going to be going up on the internet. This is going to be a process by which we warn individuals, so it is not, in effect, a public process."

New garda recruits

A publicly available register is not the approach that other jurisdictions have taken, said Mr Harris, but he added that how Ireland will approach the matter has not been fully fleshed out yet.

Mr Harris and Mr O'Callaghan were speaking at the graduation of 149 new gardaí, where the minister said he is optimistic about the number of new recruits entering the force.

Mr O'Callaghan said he would not be "playing along with negativity" and would not apologise for setting a target of 1,000 new garda recruits by the end of the year, even though figures indicate the target will not be reached.

"I think we need to start talking good news in relation to the gardaí rather than endlessly saying that morale is on the ground and we cannot get people to join. We can get people to join," said Mr O'Callaghan.

Meanwhile, both the minister and commissioner defended the use of Cellebrite products — which are made in Israel. 

The technology allows gardaí to bypass security on phones and other devices, and helped to secure the conviction of Stephen Mooney who was jailed this week for the murder of his wife, Anna Mooney.