Another example of lack of accountability

Very few organisations rely on public support like a police force; credibility is a core currency. 

Its capacity to do its essential work depends on it. Unfortunately, the credibility of An Garda Síochána has been stretched almost beyond the breaking point.

We cannot afford this, so the explanation of how drink driving test figures were grossly exaggerated is awaited with trepidation.

That explanation could well be the straw that breaks the camel’s back or, at last, the catalyst for the kind of reform that has been talked about for years.

It is reasonable to expect that any organisation so challenged would be scrupulous about how innovation might affect its reputation.

Thorough groundwork to ensure that new practices are understood and are legally bomb-proof should be the norm. Sadly this is not the case.

Senior gardaí have expressed concerns that just 72 gardaí have been trained to use roadside drug-testing machines.

Of that 72, approximately 30 are full-time trainers. Legislation facilitating these tests became active this week and the scheme was introduced with great fanfare and, as it turns out, an entirely unjustified promise to confront drug-driving.

The application of this legislation has been planned for a considerable time so it is very difficult to understand why the relevant training has not been provided. Unfortunately, this must be seen as another example of the ineptitude and the lack of accountability destroying our police force.