Irish Examiner view: Focus should be on force’s safety, not reputation

A situation in which gardaí could have been injured by a malfunctioning weapon or ammunition is completely unacceptable. File picture

It has been a testing couple of weeks for An Garda Síochána, with controversy flaring over the handling of protected disclosures within the force. Revelations following up on the work of Mick Clifford in this newspaper about Garda whistle-blowers mean the organisation is under significant pressure to change its ways of operating.

Earlier this week, Mick Clifford reported on a different problem facing the gardaí, one with both operational and organisational implications.