Sir, – Another 400,000 false breath tests (Front page, November 2nd)! Were there any real ones? – Yours, etc,
JOHN ROGERS,
Rathowe,
Co Westmeath.
Sir, – The core issue here is honesty, or lack of it. It’s not about “culture” or “systems”. Do I tell the truth or not?
In a court of law , the credibility of a witness is paramount.
This issue puts in question the credibility of each and every witness statement of members of An Garda Síochána.
Honesty is not a selective virtue. Its presence or lack of it informs everything we do. – Yours, etc,
SEAN REIDY,
New Ross,
Co Wexford.
A chara, – Rather than pursue disciplinary procedures against gardaí involved in inflating breath-test figures, may I suggest the introduction of one multi-choice question for senior Garda leaders. The question is: in the event of an independent outside agency informing you that one of the metrics used to measure performance bears no relationship with reality, do you:
a) continue to use the metric because the numbers look good, and hope that no one notices?
b) stop using the metric and replace it with verifiable data?
c) ensure that leadership are not held responsible in any way and seek to blame others for the lack of management accountability? – Is mise,
DERMOT O’ROURKE,
Lucan,
Co Dublin.
A chara, – The late great John McGahern wrote about “patrols of the imagination” – the phantom excursions the gardaí recorded in the barracks in Cootehall. Not even a creative genius such as he could have come up with the current level of revelations! – Is mise,
HILARY SCANLAN,
Tralee,
Co Kerry.