Whitewash

national | miscellaneous | news report Monday May 20, 2002 20:45 by 8den

As the media attention over May 6th dies down, the matter gets turned over to Gardaí investiagtions and soliciters. However recent discoverys leads us to suspect the tactics and behaviour of the internal investigation.

Members of this Gardaí Internal inquiry have been doing the rounds. Asking for statements from people including those who went to the Gardaí complaints board. However their behaviour can only be described as suspicious.

For starts, they've not been making it clear that they are part of the Internal Inquiry and NOT members of the Gardaí complaints board. They've not been out right lying, but neither have they come forward straight out with the truth. They've approached people taken their statements and left them with the impression that the witness has just made a complaint, when in fact they've given the Gardaí a statement.

Whats the difference? Internal Inquiry or Gardaí complaints board?

Well for starts there is no confidentality at all with this internal inquiry. Your statement can be used againist you or others, and can be used by other Gardaí.

Secondly, well we don't know secondly. No one has any idea what the remit of this investigation is, or what exactly they are investigating. However as seen in a previous post, someone who made a complaint is recieving Gardaí haressment. Furthermore the Gardaí when speaking to a soliciter about this wasn't too keen on going into details.

This is damage limitation pure and simple. No investigation, rather a desperate attempt to gather evidence to justify what happened.

If you've made a complaint and are approached by Gardaí.

1. Ask them who they are with, Gardaí complaints
board or internal investigation.

If it's the internal investigation I'd advise you to not comply until they give a better explaination of what it is they are investigating.

If it's the complaints board I'll leave you with this cheery fact.

Number of complaints againist Gardaí in 2001
5000 odd.

Number of complaints resulting in charges of assault being made againist Gardaí
2

Number of these charges that were dismissed
2