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GARDA SUPERINTENDENT NOEL Cunningham has said the latest report into the breath test scandal revealing that there may be another 400,000 falsified tests “could be described as a guesstimate”.
President of the Association of Garda Superintendents Noel Cunningham’s comments come after the Policing Authority published a report, carried out by consultancy firm Crowe Howarth, into the breath test scandal which revealed that there may be another 400,000 falsified breath tests.
The report, which was published yesterday, looks at both the breath test and the fixed charge notice/summons scandals. It also detailed how and why checkpoints were faked.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio One’s Today with Sean O’Rourke, Cunningham was adamant that the latest report might not be accurate.
“They looked at a longer period, they went back then to when the breath tests started, so that influenced that number. I saw in the report in relation to the additional 400,000 and I think at best it could be described as a guesstimate… and it should be read like that,” Cunningham said.
He went on to deny that there was implicit pressure put on gardaí to perform checkpoints and inflate numbers, despite contrasting findings in the report.
“I don’t accept that, I accept that there was implicit pressure on members of the Garda Síochana to perform the checkpoints, because we have to look at what our function here was, our function was as we said back in May, to reduce drink driving and certainly there was implicit pressure to make sure that checkpoints were done,” he said.
I know it was said that it was in some policing plans to increase the number of actual breath tests but it certainly wasn’t one that I was familiar with, I’m sure it exists because Crowe Howarth have found it.
In its assessment, the Policing Authority says:
We believe that there was significant pressure within the organisation to be seen to deliver against targets that were set – whether at divisional level within the annual policing plan, or for a patrol setting out for its tour of duty with an expectation that it would undertake the three MIT checkpoints that it had been authorised to conduct, or at some other level within the organisation…
The report found that many members of the force “indicated that the number of checkpoints scheduled during a tour of duty (10-hour patrol shift) could be up to three or four, regardless of the time of day”. However, not all of these checkpoints took place.
A number of garda members in a busy urban station told the authority that they “were frequently under significant pressure when on patrol, and at any given time might have six or seven backed up calls awaiting their response”.
They said they simply couldn’t manage to perform all of the checkpoints authorised, due to this pressure.
They had developed a “habit” of “entering erroneous data onto Pulse”, says the report, entering false data in respect of checkpoints not operated.
While garda health and safety requirements said a minimum of two members should be present at a checkpoint, in some rural areas up to 80% of patrols were undertaken by a single member. Some gardaí said that management would frequently schedule checkpoints knowing they could never be carried out.
Implications
In response to O’Rourke’s questions about what should happen to those, if identified, who had claimed to set up checkpoints that did not happen, Cunningham said that while they should be dealt with, he wasn’t sure what value it would add given that it would be an expensive process.
“If we’re going down the road of dealing with this then right across the board that is going to be a very long term, it’s going to be extremely expensive and I’m just unsure what it will arrive at the very end, what will be derived from it, what value added will come from it,” Cunningham said.
Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan has said that disciplinary action will be taken where there is evidence of wrongdoing in relation to the scandal.
“Yesterday’s report once again underlines what has been a particularly bleak chapter in An Garda Síochána. An unacceptable catalogue of major deficiencies and an unacceptable litany of instances of very bad behaviour on the part of the gardaí,” Flanagan said.
There is a process underway under assistant commissioner Michael Finn where he will assess the situation as far as responsibility is concerned.
Yes, it is very important that where there is evidence of wrongdoing that there would be certain culpability in that regard and that there would be a process to ensure that disciplinary action will be taken.
Earlier this year, an internal report authored by Assistant Commissioner Michael O’Sullivan revealed a discrepancy of more than a million breath tests over an eight-year period.
The report into Mandatory Alcohol Testing (MAT), which was published at the start of September, found a discrepancy of over 1.4 million between the number of tests counted on the Garda PULSE system and the number actually registered by the force’s Dräger breathalyser devices.
This figure, which accounts for the period between 2009-2017, represents a 71% disparity between the number of tests recorded and those actually carried out.
It was reported earlier this year that between 2011 and 2016, just over 933,000 false breath tests were recorded on Garda PULSE systems. However, it was subsequently revealed that a further 500,000 false breath tests were recorded but not carried out.
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Gards still not accountable and no one can dare speak out to expose malpractice as they will ruin anyone trying to highlight wrong doing and malpractice and the world of corruption with millions of false tests the least worst thing when you compare what whisleblowers are still living through.Why is the Gardai not reformed?
@Trevor Connolly: If this happened in Zimbabwe under Mugabe we’d laugh our collective asses off. Yet here it is in a ‘developed’ country and the silence from the government is deafening. The same government that backed the former and lets face it disgraced commissioner to the hilt. Nobody will face criminal prosecution for this because FG/FF have an unholy alliance with the police in this country. The trust in the force is in utter tatters and its solely down to senior management and a government that’s unwilling to change the mindset as it stands.
@Tony Skillington: what about individual responsibility of anyone who falsified data, not just senior management I assume
@Trevor Connolly: be difficult to prove individual wrong doing by Gardai…buck stios at the top
@Jay Lane: SO many guards have another job or business, so the garda job is only a hobby.
its same as kenya or any african country…
Hillarious that the Gardai are criticising as “inaccurate” a report into their own makey-up numbers!
@iBob101:
Funny you should mention that Bob. AGS are criticising government agency figures in an attempt to hide their cover-ups.
Over 16% of all crimes reported never get onto Pulse. That’s I in 6 crimes.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0928/819843-crime-cso/
@Christy Nolan: denis o brien has some kind of soft war contract with gardai…
Which means it could be more. But if not, even a 90% margin of error would mean 40k more, which would be completely unacceptable. In no way is semantics from mr cunningham going to change the gravity of the problems in AGS
@Brian O’Faolain:
Excuse me Garda Superintendent Cunningham but your abacus is not on the level. Your balls are on a downhill slope.
@Brian O’Faolain: New comish same as the old comish.
The Guardians of our Law (Garda Siochana) have in this instance admitted that they perverted it. If no one is held responsible, if there is no punishment,no sanctions, then something similar is sure to happen again.
@John Campbell: And again and again again and again.
@John Campbell:
A Senior Garda telling lies about lies does not make it the truth.
Cunningham should be “retired”.
It seems like the phrases ‘You’re having a phukking laugh” & ‘Are you taking the piśś’ were invented for this story.
A guesstimate??! Oh dear. Isn’t that what caused this whole shambles in the first place. Clueless.
Another difficult-to-read Journal article. E.G Quote: He went on to deny that there was implicit pressure put on gardaí to perform checkpoints and inflate numbers… “I don’t accept that, I accept that there was implicit pressure on members of the Garda Síochana to perform the checkpoints…” :end quote. Are we to believe what the guy is quoted as saying or what the author of the article thinks he said?
Supernitendo Cunningham can go and shite. A few hundred either side could be classed as a “Guesstimate”. We’re literally in the Millions on this one. The whole organisation stinks from top to bottom.
“guesstimate” meaning more accurate then the Garda figures?
@Kerry Blake: to the estimate of another 400k fake tests may be an under estimate.
Unless the Garda can prove the real figure, it could be any figure, even much higher than 400k.
A Chief Superintendent in the Fraud area told me that whatever estimate of embezzlement or Fraud loss is initially concluded, the reality is usually at least 10 times the initial estimate.
If not another 400,000 fake tests, it may be a multiple of that number of fake tests.
These Gardai fooled none of their bosses because the bosses already were in on this little act and last night on the 9 o clock news the cops are now blaming the lack of money and personnel. I am sure just like Bertie’s dig out Templemore would have been more than willing to share loot with their brothers in arms.
Sounds like everyone was at it falsifying data entry. A line in the sand has to be made where it is made clear that after this point there will be serious repercussions. You can’t change the past but you can change the culture. They have made ordinary people doubt their word and that is the most damaging part of this disgrace.
@Melissa O’Callaghan: my worry is that An Garda Siochana May have fitted up suspects for crimes that they did not commit, raising the spectre of unsafe convictions.
The fake breath tests are only part of a systemic, epidemic and ingrained prevalent dishonesy in An Garda Siochana as revealed by many Tribunals and court scandals.
If you don’t know which members of An Garda Siochana are honest and with integrity, it is prudent to assume that any Garda that you deal with is dishonest.
Bank gangesterism, scandal after scandal involving An Garda. Yet political parties brush this off as if it,s only a blip. This state is running on empty. The next scandal only diverts us from the scandals we are already trying to digest.
I guesstimate Superintendent Cunningham will have a long and successful career ,he has it all down pat .
I listened to Garda Noel on the radio. I wonder how he got promoted to his senior position in the Gardai. Was it education? Was it experience in the job? Was it spoofing his way up?
How many innocent people have been stitched up with their lives and families ruined, and FFG and AGS don’t give a hoot.
Criminal
@Christy Nolan: Christy I do not believe that families have been totally ruined.However I do believe that the innocent should be acquitted and compensated asap. It does not excuse what has happened but there are far bigger scandals out there. It is all very embarrassing for decent Gardai and I was one.
@Michael J Foley: what decent Gardai? I have yet to hear one publicly come out and name those who falsified or ordered the falsification of records. Therefore they are all complicant.
@Michael J Foley: decent guards. Lol. Most are all corrupted to the hill
Why have we got a minister for justice at all, seeing that his underlings pass no heed to him or any body else. These cops are making a right Charley out of all of us.
Lazy lazy oafs
I totally disagree with Supt Cunningham and totally agree with the independent report. It does not matter about the final figure . The real scandal here is the wrongly convicted and that has to be sorted asap.
Let’s not forget that this is not the most serious scandal.The bankers and their antics and it is no coincidence that no senior banker has been jailed. It may be the beginning of the end in these organisations for brown nosing political …….. with no morals or did I see a pig flying over Leinster House ?
Get in – climb the ladder as fast as you can – only 30 years and you get a big fat pension and you can walk away – and be totally unaccountable in the process. They have it all sewn up for themselves. They are a law unto themselves. Falsifying data to make things look good on the surface – then using that to look for overtime and pay raises. Of course this is corruption – time to break up this club.
Gardai are accountable to nobody , they are also grossly overpaid and spend too much of each working day filling out there expenses and allowance forms. Over 90 different types of allowances and expenses in the Gardai .
Thank the Lordy it’s on a guesstimate! No news here people. It’s probably only 350,000 so. To quote Trumpy Dumpy, “FAKE NEWS”
Does this guy think we’re idiots??
@Dave Allman: That’s the problem Dave, he does think we’re idiots.
@Dave Allman: we are idiots. The corruption and fraud keeps comin an guess what? We accept it every time. Why is there not mass protests on how this country is being ran beggars belief to the point im goin to start wearing a tin foil hat and claim that we r being drugged through our water system. It all adds up ;-)
It’s all very fine blaming the Gardai on all that’s going on but people have a responsibility not to be drink driving.
Policing by statistics and this what you get. The Metropolitan Police has been in this same situation, crazy.
@Gus Sheridan: you are only 43.6078% correct about that.
If people were that compliant there would be no reason for the gardai at all.
Will anyone be brought to justice over this
What about all the ficticious overtime claimed and paid? Surely thsi respresents fraud and is a criminal offence.
@TonyF
Please explain the classes in this country now ?
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