An independent Garda authority is needed to bolster public confidence in the force, Dublin's Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr Eric Byrne (Labour), has said. Mr Byrne said yesterday public confidence in the Garda had been undermined by incidents such as the Abbeylara shooting and deficiencies in the Garda complaints procedure.
"Rather than attempting to reform the Garda Complaints Board . . . I am proposing the establishment of an independent Garda authority comprising members nominated by the Minister for Justice, Garda representative bodies and community groups.
"The authority should be chaired by a retired judge and would be required to produce annual reports to be laid before the Oireachtas," Mr Byrne said.