The point is Garda malpractice must be outed

I applaud the brave and honourable gardaí who have sought to highlight possible malpractice in relation to penalty points.

Their cause is just, as they aim to uphold the highest possible standards within the Garda Siochána.

It annoys me the way people, within or outside the force, are accused of being “anti-Gardaí” when they voice any criticism of police behaviour. Such an attitude overlooks the fact that the law is supposed to apply equally to every citizen. In these volatile times, with so much mistrust of those in authority, it is all the more imperative that we avoid the potentially destabilising perception of Garda malpractice.

Garda whistleblowers not only deserve to be heeded, they should be encouraged and, at an appropriate juncture, honoured publicly for their commitment to justice and integrity. Clare Daly TD is owed a huge debt of gratitude by all advocates of fair and just policing for her forthright pursuit of the penalty points issue in Dáil Éireann.

The Garda Siochána would benefit enormously from a clamping down on malpractice. Members of the force have given a first rate service to the public, despite savage cutbacks, and we should never forget the brave gardaí who have laid down their lives in our name.

We owe it to them, and to ourselves, to ensure the force maintains full public confidence and that some citizens are not deemed to be “more equal than others”, to quote Orwell’s Animal Farm, or treated as such. That’s why the Lady Justice statue has a blindfold, meaning that justice must be dispensed evenly to all, with no exceptions for the perceived high and mighty.

She can’t be just blind in one eye!

John Fitzgerald

Callan

Co Kilkenny