Commissioner’s press conference: The noose is tightening

ANY hope that yesterday’s press conference by Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan might be more reassuring that her unsatisfactory statement on Saturday was misplaced.

Rather, she was confrontational, declaring that she would not step down even if the Dáil passed a motion of no confidence in her. Not only is this an extraordinary position for the head of a police force appointed by a democratically elected Government to adopt, but its hubris almost ensures that the motion will succeed.

It if does, it places Taoiseach Enda Kenny and his Government in an unprecedented and invidious position. It may even bring the survival of the administration into question. Ms O’Sullivan’s description of the public response to the news of nearly a million fake drink-driving tests and 15,000 insecure convictions as “disquiet” suggests a disconnect that adds to the air of implosion thickening around An Garda Síochána. That she gave the impression she was someone who was only now familiarising themselves with the Garda culture rather than having been a member of the force for 36 years hardly inspires confidence — or patience — either.

Cabinet will discuss the matter today. The commissioner will appear at the Oireachtas justice committee tomorrow. Yesterday’s event was expected to be a safety valve, to create some breathing space. It failed in that objective — the noose is tightening, and not just on the commissioner.