Gardaí must address culture in their ranks

EVERY now and again, the past rises up to smite the present, and last week presented once such prime example.

The Smithwick Tribunal was charged with investigating whether there was garda collusion in the murder of senior RUC officers Harry Breen and Bob Buchanan in 1989. That matter was dealt with competently in the report published last Tuesday.

However, Peter Smithwick also referenced the current culture within the gardaí, which he had encountered during the investigation. A former chief superintendent, Tom Curran, had given evidence that suggested that senior elements in the force had been negligent in dealing with threats to the lives of RUC officers which he had highlighted.