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HOW DID GARDAÍ record 1,000,000 imaginary breathalyser tests on their official systems?
Why did it take three years for the scale of the Phantom Breath Testing to become known?
Who out of 14,500 officers is responsible for this game of make-believe?
According to the most senior of garda management, the wizardry that magicked up the non-existent has been eradicated.
So, what was the problem, you ask?
Well, that’s the thing. They’re not quite sure just yet.
But it is fixed.
That’s why they took so long to tell us.
“The initial action was to address the problem,” Deputy Commissioner John Twomey explained yesterday.
“In April 2016, new measures were brought in to make sure the problem couldn’t occur,” he assured the numerous deputies and senators lined up at the Justice Committee, eager to be enlightened.
The motley crew of cross-party members invited the Commissioner to the hearing to uncover more details around what happened within An Garda Síochána which led to almost one million alcohol breath tests that never happened being recorded. There was also the second controversy, which saw more than 14,000 drivers convicted without proper process, to deal with.
Fresh and armed with questions at 9am, they faced an embattled Garda Commissioner, Twomey and – the man who can be credited for putting all these details in front of us – Assistant Commissioner Michael Finn yesterday.
Cut to four hours later with only the one toilet break (and not a coffee in sight), it was the politicians who were battered, bruised, frustrated and frantically repeating words while, presumably, refraining from banging heads on tables. (Clare Daly might still be in Committee Room 1 asking, ‘What is the figure? What is the figure? What is the figure?’)
Although they had the right questions, few were answered.
“We haven’t got to the bottom of exactly what [happened],” O’Sullivan explained to Deputy Jim O’Callaghan, who wondered what ‘grave mistakes and wrongdoing’ the witness had earlier apologised for.
“But what we do know is that the numbers do not match. Therefore the Assistant Commissioner [Michael O'Sullivan] has to establish how exactly this was done.
She pondered out loud:
Was it entered erroneously? Was it entered in error? What was it?
Later, she conceded that these two controversies highlight ‘at best, incompetence and, at worst, deception’.
And in a pre-prepared opening statement said, “Those mistakes and wrongdoings are unacceptable in policing terms, unacceptable in ethical terms, unacceptable in terms of public trust, and, most critically, unacceptable to the advocacy and support groups involved in road safety and to those who were wrongly brought to court.
They have raised serious issues about how we managed the service, how certain Gardaí operated on the ground and their supervision. Given the scale of these issues, they can’t simply be blamed on one individual or one area. It is a collective failure. From top down to bottom up.
While Deputy Pearse Doherty of Sinn Féin was mostly concerned about why the fault was being laid on every single foot soldier, others were curious about the Medical Bureau for Road Safety’s contacts with gardaí about nonsensical data all the way back in 2014. Senator Frances Black floated the idea that the creators of the Phantom Breath Tests may – or at least could – have clocked up some overtime hours (and pay). Mick Wallace went straight for the person, asking, ‘Who is going to hold you to account?’
The trio, as a team, batted the questions away.
“Collective responsibility.”
“Major programme of reform.”
“We are turning over a lot of stones.”
“If you look at the staggering figures that are there… I can tell you that they feel collectively embarrassed and sorry.”
“The [2014] conversation was about procurement, not at management level.”
“I was almost single-handedly with five Assistant Commissioners running an organisation of 14,500.”
“We have been brought up as police men and women – we want to get the facts before going public.”
“It’s a very interesting question. We hold each other accountable in the first instance. There is a statutory framework there that can hold me to account.”
Another repeated query: Why wasn’t the Policing Authority told about this?
“An administrative error.”
“It was a complete oversight that it wasn’t done. It was notified to the department, and to the Authority and we apologised.”
There were a couple of bright spark moments for the non-uniformed in the room. Fianna Fáil’s Jack Chambers landed a couple of questions as he sought information on whether An Garda Síochána’s performance and bonus structures (roundly criticised by AGSI when they existed) could have encouraged some massaging of figures on behalf of the higher-ups.
“What were the performance-related targets linked with bonuses paid to senior people? Could that have been the potential trigger for driving data upwards? Was that the trigger… to have maximised data outcomes?”
Deputy, I’m not aware of the bonus payment scheme in relation to the members of the force but we can certainly check that out for you.
“You were the Assistant Commissioner for Human Resource Management at the time.”
Yes, I was. But I wasn’t aware of the bonus payment scheme… One of the deficits we have as an organisation is performance management and performance issues.
The commissioners finally came up blank, telling the Castleknock deputy that they’d have to find out for him if there were any links between data and performance-related bonuses.
A win of sorts for Chambers. His fierce questioning on cultural triggers paid off too and we got an hypothesis of sorts on why of this may have happened.
“Can you give us an hypothesis about why, in your opinion, this may have happened? I understand you’re continuing an audit but surely as senior people in An Garda Síochána, you have some indication about how this happened in every part of this country, in every station.
He pushed again.
“Do you have any hypothesis at all about how this happened on such a systematic level?… What was the specific trigger within the force that drove this systematic failure? In your opinion, right now.
And again.
“Do you have an opinion? Do you have one? I asked for a hypothesis. Surely you have some hypothesis about what triggered this systemic failure. Surely you have some answer to that question.
“I can’t give you a specific answer to be honest… I have a range of ideas,” responded Finn.
“I’d like to hear some of them… Could you refer to some of your ideas?”
“There may well have been individual locations…”
“We know they weren’t individual locations, because we know it happened everywhere. I don’t want to hear about individualisation or specific divisions… What is your overarching hypothesis as an experienced member of the force on why this happened on such a systematic level…?”
O’Sullivan swiftly stepped in to aid her Deputy, clarifying that she wanted to be careful because of the Assistant Commissioner’s impending inquiry.
A hypothesis may well be… MAT checkpoints are a preventative measure. They are actually not designed to catch people. They are designed to encourage compliant behaviour… Perhaps, it wasn’t as valued as important as it was in terms of detections.
“If you take it – and I would not like to detract from the really really good, diligent, professional, ethical work that is done by the men and women of An Garda Síochána every single day…
“But a hypothesis may well be that the fact that this was a preventative measure, the accuracy and the importance of reporting the accurate numbers – be it 24 or 48 hours after a very busy period of time – it doesn’t lessen it, it doesn’t diminish it – but a hypothesis may well be that it wasn’t seen as important as being accurate in terms of the detection of offences.”
There were even stickier questions to come as Clare Daly got the calculator out.
400,000 doesn’t go into 1,000,000 too many times, she discovered.
“You expect us to believe - and have stated repeatedly here – that there were 400,000 checkpoints carried out during that time. I put it to you Commissioner, ‘How in God’s name could that be possible?’ That would mean, in effect, that every checkpoint tested about 2.5 people.”
Finn said he could stand over that particular number, saying all the checkpoints were validated.
“I have no indication to say our checkpoint data is wrong. I have presented the data in relation to our breath test. I have verified that externally,” he added.
Twomey confirmed that there are no set guidelines about how many drivers should be tested at any given site. Finn explained that MATs are often carried out at night and in rural locations. And not everybody is breathalised, either.
O’Sullivan moved quickly away from numbers.
“It is important to focus on the outcome and the purpose of the MAT checkpoints,” she said. “The purpose is to reduce road deaths and fatal collisions and that’s what we’re achieving.”
It’s true but those in Leinster House weren’t enamoured.
Daly said she felt “like the parent who finds the child with the biscuit jar and chocolate all over his mouth, sitting there saying, ‘It wasn’t me’”.
Colm Brophy of Fine Gael wasn’t “interested in the excuses used four times already”.
And his party colleague, Senator Martin Conway, summed up his opinion on whether O’Sullivan can restore the public’s confidence in just one succinct sentence.
“If you do, you will have put Lazarus in the ha’penny place.”
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Here come the trump types who spent the last few days here screeching their defence of the policy, only now they’ll claim their great leader was wise to want to end it.
@Chucky Arlaw: not the brightest bunch
@neilo: ahh so politican or leader has made a wrong judgement when it comes to a decision of regret. Got ya. ! Whoo thanks for clearing that up.
@neilo: whatabout the Dems, crooked Hillary, Obama, the emails!! Whatabout the EMAILLSSS!! Deep state, snowflake, make America great, Chinese Leberal hoax, fake news, conspiracy, deep state conspiracy, pizzagate, liberal hoax #alternate facts
@neilo: Still waiting on Mr. Fake Facebook send me your name, address, copy of passport clown “Joe Caulfeld” to come on, along with that wet behind the ears kid “Daniel Carson” and “Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd” etc…
@neilo: Its thoroughly depressing to read the drivel spouted by them
@Mark Fitzmaurice: haha them, que( Darth Vader theme song).
@neilo: please look up The NY Times 2014/2015 same photos same reason. When a Parent is arrested the children cannot be taken into custody with them it’s a law that goes back to the 90s. Obama had it wrong also. If they go to a border post they will not be arrested and can claim asylum they will not be separated. They only get arrested When they cross illegally.
@james s: except when they get to a border post they are being turned away whether they seek asylum or not which leaves illegal entry or returning to whatever persuaded them to travel thousands of miles in perilous conditions. They have tried to do it the right way.
@james s: yea,all 11 MILLION of them
@neilo:
My basic point is Republican, Democrat, Trump, Obama there all the same.
@Dave O Keeffe: incorrect when you claim refugee status they have to process you. But unlike here it doesn’t take years. Most likely they’re not legitimate refugees that’s why they choose the illegal crossing
@james s: https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/563084/us-border-asylum/ stop lying child
This guy is out of control, strangely moving towards a dictator state.
How telling the only other foreign leader he gets on with is Kim. Who has his opponents (uncles) saveged to death by starving dogs.
The world should organise a boycott of American goods including movies untill they sort him out.
@Cathal Leonard: that wasn’t true about feeding the uncle to dogs and the boycott you describe will hurt the American people who are as bewildered by all of this as we are.
@Keith Fay: I know kim is cool a nice guy and we should just be nice to each other ahhhhh.
@Cathal Leonard: i think he’s a sc-mbag… but he still didn’t feed his uncle to dogs and you are wrong to call for a boycott of innocent americans
@Keith Fay: I guess you are all for removing the sanctions on Russia then, why should innocent Russians suffer for Putin’s actions?
@Zmeevo Libe: You know what, I have a lot of friends in Russia who are not complaining. You do know the difference between a boycott and a sanction? a sanction is usually aimed at affecting the government, a boycoot can affect governments too but also people, the man on the street. Some guy growing vegetables having his food boycotted because it comes from the US etc etc
@Cathal Leonard: should boycott you !
@Cathal Leonard: Humorous comment. How is America moving towards a dictator state. What institutions of democracy have been infringed here?
Very misleading headline. TDS…
Congress makes the laws this one was jointl made by both parties). Trump is choosing to enforce it (Obama decided not to). The Republicans are now going to change the law.
Btw, any “family” that walks up to a border crossing and asks for asylum will not be split up (but will be detained). It’s only those that get caught illegally crossing and then claim they are looking for asylum that are detained seperatly.
It was the very left wing 9th circuit that created this problem.
@neilo: I’m not sure if the last sentence is saying I’m lying? If so. Bad form. I just the facts.
Donald Trump is choosing to enforce the law. Obama choose not to. The President cannot make laws. Only Congress.
This is manufactured outrage.
@Fiasco99: Youre talking total BS there, stop trying to twist the facts in order to defend this Trumpian policy
@Fiasco99: yawn lies, lies, lies
@Fiasco99: FACT: families walk up to border crossings are being turned away regardless of what they say. FACT: That leaves families with the option of entering illegally or returning the the situation that was bad enough for them to need to walk thousands of miles to seek asylum in America. FACT: Arresting asylum seekers is a Trump/Sessions policy.
@neilo: well congratulations, you’ve won nothing ! He’ll still be president.
@Dave O Keeffe: fact, they are aware of the consequences, of being migrants an this might occur?
@neilo: thank you for knowing me, your so intellectual. Ohhh this is about popularity. Well sh#t
@neilo: notice how they always shoehorn Obama in there. Even though everybody knows he’s got nothing to do with this… Like Obama or not, he didn’t spend 8 whole years saying “Bush did it”.
@neilo: em, I don’t care because our opinion has now consequence at all.( I know there’s a radiohead song in their somewhere)
@neilo: sean Hannity, how did you know ? Ah shucks ! Well I guess my politcal identity is over now. Thank you for telling me who my media political hero’s are, on tv. You know me better than I do,
@neilo: as you would !
@Jonathan Byrne: fact, They are trying to do it the legal way and not being allowed to do that by border police. Fact, having a hit out on you as a cop in Mexico fighting a cartel is not grounds for asylum anymore because Sessions said so.
@neilo: do you do stand up? Because that’s hilarious,
@Fiasco99: erm , you are not helping – this shouldn’t be a partisan issue , a pro trump anti trump issue , it should be about how to treat people humanely under the circumstances regardless of the politics – it is not acceptable in this day and age to inflict misery by splitting families, especially the long term damage on the kids – building new tents and cages to manage that process which was in effect IMPOSED by this administration by their introduction of a new Zero tolerance policy – it is a policy not a law. The President has the power to change the policy not congress – – oh – and you are being an idiot.
@Dave Hammond: your name calling me for some fairly middle of the road comments that even the Democratic party were agreeing with as recent as 2014.
And I’m not being helpful?
Manufacturered outrage. And apparently you are out raged.
@Fiasco99: i wasn’t named calling you… i was pointing out your were an idiot… this idiotic policy and what you called the manufactured outrage has seen the administration to buckle and the President has announced he will sign an order to stop the separations ( as I predicted earlier today ) – but your pretty selfish and totally classless attitude to the problem is there for all to see in your comments. I am sure you are proud of yourself.
Too late. His Katrina moment has happened.
@DJ François:
I hope you are right, but I doubt it.
@DJ François: How many Katrina moment’s need to happen before someone sorts this horrific human out.
@Kevin Conway: How? If he gets toppled then Pence takes over by-default for ATLEAST 18 months.
Trump is a brash embarrassing mouth-piece but Pence; now that’s a man that would scare the colour out of Old’Scratch
@P.J. Nolan: No I agree this is a Katrina moment of sorts for Trump himself , how he handles major issues that resonate with people that can occur and cut thru the partisan politics can be pretty defining – it’s already been in the mainstream US news cycle for a few days that the quick fix would be for HIM to just pick up the phone , halt the new zero tolerance policy and then sort out – but he is JUST playing politics with it – they will put a band-aid fix in this week – but he missed the chance to be decisive and act like a President for all Americans this week -politically he chose to be partisan – blame the democrats for everything and rally his base instead – everyone knows he wants funding for his wall and is using tearing families apart as some sort of negotiating tactic – i think they will be punished in midterms in November and try hard as he may to claim HE fixed the mess at the border – the majority will only think he made the problem worse. Sad to see America in such moral decline.
The greatest President in the history of the United States.
@Mark Jones: ……was Barrack Obama…..
just finished your statement for you.
@Dotty Dunleary: Fake news
@Dotty Dunleary: I like Obama but Lincoln was probably the best……. I read Team of Rivals, at points I was like “they’re making this up, no way this guy was THIS good” but it was meticulously indexed and researched…..
So, I’d have to go with Lincoln if picking the best US President ever.
@Tricia G: Sure, Nixon was even better than the Trump and his child prisons..
@Mark Jones: I really wouldn’t go that far Mark, greatest since Reagan perhaps. No comparing him to presidents such as Lincoln, Washington or Calvin Coolidge.
@Tricia G: Agreed.
It won’t take long for Trump to congratulate himself over twitter for overturning Obama’s cruel immigration policy
@alphanautica: and rightly so
This is only starting to be a PR disaster? Says enough about Republicans. And the fact that they believe him is a joke. He could just turn around and withdraw his support and no one here would even blink. The man is pure evil.
@Deborah Behan: yes pure evil, gotta love those action catchphrases. If ya look up a history book say from the last century then there was actions of evil. In comparison to now, ya having a laugh.
@Deborah Behan: so now you’re worried about children …wow
@Joe O’riordan: children are born,ffs..
@Joe O’riordan: sounds like she’s a lot more worried than you.
“solve the border crisis and family separation issue by allowing for family detention and removal”.
Family detention means the kids will be placed in holding cells with adult and young males while being processed and waiting for removal. Is this really safer for the kids ? Would the Supreme court allow kids to be incarcerated in this manner ? The same people who opposed separation will now oppose incarceration.
Either way Trump closes the loophole. Fair play to him.
@neilo: Please post your real name with an open account so I can respond to your post.
@neilo: when one of your election backers are folks that will benefit the most from having these people locked up,then it’s best not to deport them straight away..
please don’t respond Joe
thanks
@Francis Mc Carthy: Which election backer benefits from locking them up?
@Joe Caulfield: Are you asking if putting families in supervised detention centres is better than creating thousands of unaccompanied minors and locking them in cages where they are forced to change the nappies of the infant children amongst them due to lack of care?
@Dave O Keeffe: Are you endorsing the incarceration of children in a zoo with potential pedophiles, drug traffickers, gang members etc ?
Do you think the Supreme Court will allow the incarceration of toddlers ?
@Francis Mc Carthy: Conspiracy theory .
@Joe Caulfield: are you avoiding answering a straight forward question? Hint: mass incarceration of toddlers is what this policy is, the supreme court are allowing it. The detention centres allow them to be with their families.n
@neilo: looks like you’ve been proven to be correct.oh well..
Liberals live babies being cut up and aborted from their mother’s womb and tossed into trash cans or dissected for stem cells. Cry because illegals cannot just march into the country without going through processing and rightfully being separated from their children temporarily after committing a crime, even though they KNEW THIS when they chose to come in, and could turn around at any point.
@Daniel Doran: The key to good trolling is adding some nuance so you’re not so obvious.
C-
Must try harder.
@Daniel Doran: The Democrats want to incarcerate the kids in large holding cells with adult males. Would it not be safer to place them in a separate situation while the parents are processed ?
@Kem Trayle: you would know from experience of course, or how would you know?
@Jonathan Byrne: If you’re going to back up a fellow troll you must use proper English, or at least try to make some sense.
I’ll give that a D- and that’s being generous.
@Kem Trayle: how about actually actually replying to my argument instead of sinking to ad hominem?
@Kem Trayle: thank you , general Grammer, without you I’d be lost understanding the meaning of something if I didn’t spell it right
@Joe Caulfield: why are you responding to a person that has a fake profile ? Is it because you are in agreement with him ? Ahhh,So that is how it works with you…bless
@Francis Mc Carthy: Didn’t see his account was closed. Don’t worry won’t be responding to him again. Just goes to show what a problem anonymity is on this site.
@Daniel Doran: yes , most of us reasonably intelligent adults can agree that the illegal immigration issue needs to be managed – many are not asking for them to be admitted to the US , just asking that they don’t split up the kids from the families as this newly introduced zero tolerance is doing – it is damaging and traumatising young kids thats all- they need to manage the problem differently…..which they will after this clusterfukk of a policy roll out , but seriously just saying that they could turn around at any point is completely missing the point. Seriously are u 12 or something ?
@Daniel Doran: when there’s a gun at the back of your head it’s probably best not to turn around. For some of these people even this separation is better than the alternative. Better doesn’t mean right though. Asylum seekers are being denied legal entry making illegal entry the only option.
@Daniel Doran: You didn’t make an argument, you just spouted the usual troll list of trigger words. Ad hominem is sometimes a valid response.
@Joe Caulfield: “the democrats want to incarcerate the kids in large holding cells with adult males” yeah, adult males aka dad
Liberals you say United States is horrible place, horrible health care, “Nazi” leader, concentration camps… a oppressive horrible regime… if this is the case why do immigrants risk life and freedom, AND their children’s lives and freedom to get in?
If it is so horrible, why do they go there?
@Daniel Doran: because compared to the dangers and conditions they are fleeing it is infinitely better. Idiot.
@Daniel Doran: many are fleeing the very things Trump claims they are bringing. Did you know that death threats from cartels are no longer grounds for asylum in America? Even if you’re a cop in the area the cartel are operating.
@Daniel Doran: yeah an a lot of same agree with his and American stance on Palestinian border issues. Hypocrites
Just like with DPRK, trump saves us from a disaster of his own making, and were supposed to be grateful. Plato’s democratic paradox – idiots can vote. What ruinous games are next up? US/UK have lost international credibility with outright lies to their people, serving only the wealthiest, turning the gullible majority against the minority. NATO’s next..whilst Putin builds his Rusasia. We need a JFK to unite the centrists, and yes he wasn’t perfect but leagues above these fools.
@General Info: the only person I know with that type of psudeo intellect with politics, would be karl Marx.
Making besties with a murderous dictator.
Insults the PM of his closest neighbor.
Puts innocent children into cages away from their families and says its for their own good.
Now he’s after pulling out of the UN Human Rights Council.
Whats next?
@Stephen Deegan: next is more support for Israel
@Stephen Deegan: i hate to think how far this mentally unstable maniac could go if left unchecked.
Yeh ! Sure why not. I could name a worse one and a better one, depending on your perception of what makes the best President.
@Jonathan Byrne: One that doesnt lie, alienate all his countries allies, and make a complete fool of himself constantly would be a start
@Dave Harris: we should all know by now that the American people don’t vote for those types.
@Dave Harris: james Buchanan, Richard Nixon, Gerald ford, the list goes on.
United States of America:
Land of internment camps.
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/06/20/pers-j20.html
Ah yeah tis terrible at Mexican border but a ok at Palestinian borders.
The Democrats won’t support either bill…
@Dumb as a Rock Mika: you know republicans have control, right? They don’t need the democrats support.
Good to hear he’s taking steps to end this unethical policy. It’s up to the legislature now.
@Daniel Carson: no it’s not,it never was. It was a policy change. They closed the legal entry points making asylum impossible.
have your say