The need to place the wholesale reform of the policing service on top of the political agenda is clear from ongoing campaign of arrests targeting political activists and the working class community of Jobstown, according to Workers’ Party Dublin City Councillor Éilis Ryan.
“In recent days what has been witnessed is not only clearly policing driven by a political agenda but also a reckless attempt to criminalise a working class community for having the tenacity to stand up to a political elite that has betrayed them”, said Cllr. Ryan.
“These series of arrests, when taken alongside the recent wrongful arrest of Clare Daly TD, the penalty points scandal, the seemingly bottomless pit of corrupt activities revealed by the Garda whistle-blowers and the failure to investigate political corruption,” Ryan said, “All point to one thing – policing in our republic is in deep crisis.”
“The Workers’ Party has long advocated a complete separation of policing from political interference. This has not happened and if anything, the right-wing political grip on policing has tightened in recent months. This is illustrated by the appointment of a new Garda Commissioner from existing Gardaí senior management. This senior management has collectively serious questions to answer about the systemic corruption and criminality which has been tolerated within the force.”
She added: “It is clear that the current Government has no interest in ensuring the citizens of our Republic have a reliable policing service. This was made fundamentally clear by its response to legal threats from former Justice Minister Alan Shatter which were utilised as an excuse to halt democratic debate concerning the terms of reference of essential State inquiries into Garda corruption.
“However, shocking as Garda conduct has been in recent months, this is not a new problem. Since the establishment of this State the police have been answerable to the right-wing establishment rather than the people. Working class communities have long been treated as entities to be controlled rather than policed by Garda senior management.