McDowell recruits some dubious statistics

IN a high-profile spat some months ago, Justice Minister Michael McDowell described Richard Bruton as “the Dr Goebbels of Irish politics” because of what he claimed was a deliberate attempt to massage garda deployment figures to suit his own agenda.

After his publicity stunt in Templemore recently, it seems the minister has taken several leaves out of Mr Bruton’s book in this regard.

Mr McDowell claimed that garda numbers now exceed 14,000 for the first time. If this is true, why did he tell the Dáil recently that “the personnel strength of An Garda Síochána increased to a record 12,762” on Friday, September 8, 2006?

Is Mr McDowell trying to claim that an extra 1,300 gardaí appeared from thin air in the past two months? Laughably, he seems to explain this difference by saying that recruits who have just started training are included in the figure of 14,000.

When listening to his years of bombast about 2,000 extra gardaí, was it rash of me to assume he meant 2,000 extra gardaí on the beat, and not 2,000 extra students in Templemore?

What use does he think these new recruits in Templemore are to victims of rising crime on the streets of the country? I am currently training to be a nurse. I am not even half way to being fully qualified.

Does the Government consider me to have been a nurse since the day I began my training two years ago? It would be preposterous to make such a claim, yet Mr McDowell does not bat an eyelid in making it about garda recruits.

This latest act of deception by the Justice Minister sends a very clear message: the Government must believe the voters are morons. Why else would they claim to have delivered on a key election pledge when they have clearly failed to do so? Although, judging by the latest opinion poll figures, it would be a fair assumption the voters will probably swallow this latest lie hook, line and sinker, as they have all of the others.

Sarah Moore

‘Críomma’

Kilmore Quay

Wexford