Gardaí deserve special status

JUDGE O’Hagan’s instructions to the jury in respect of the status of a young garda who was killed on duty in Donegal is the cause of much discussion and rightly so.

Young Garda Bobby McCallion was killed while in uniform and on duty because he was a garda. That is a fact. At the hearing in Letterkenny, where another young man faced a charge of the manslaughter in respect of this killing, Judge O’Hagan instructing the jury said, “don’t be carried away by the fact that he was a garda. You must look at it in a cold and calculated way.”

Commenting on the judge’s instructions Pat Rabbitte, Labour spokesman stated that a garda on duty should have a special status. Charlie Flanagan, FG spokesman stated gardaí must enjoy a special status under the law and said his party would look at changes in the law to protect gardaí in the line of duty.

The fact is that the law already recognises the special status of a garda on duty because of the nature of his work and in particular because he is duty bound to protect life and property and enforce the law. The problem in this case is that Judge O’Hagan dismissed or failed to recognise that special status.

John Ferry (former garda)

Sligo