Madam, - In response to the opinions of Kevin Myers in An Irishman's Diary (April 8th), the Garda Representative Association (GRA) would like to strongly object to and refute a number of the allegations made by Mr Myers in the article.
In relation to the forthcoming May Day and EU enlargement celebrations in Dublin, members of An Garda Síochána do have legitimate concerns about the events, which are being addressed in the proper forum with Garda management.
At no time has there been any suggestion from any member of any so-called "epidemic", as Mr Myers refers to it, afflicting Garda members on the occasion of the forthcoming May Day events.
The GRA would like to utterly refute the scurrilous allegations made in the article that members of the force were using the threat of a terrorist attack by al-Qaeda or any other terrorist grouping to "extract concessions from the Government."
The idea that members of any police force charged with the protection of democracy would seek to use the greatest known threat to the modern democratic world as a means to garnering inducements of any kind is a sickening and repulsive accusation that has angered members of An Garda Síochána whose daily battle with threats to society goes largely unnoticed in the column inches that instead are wasted on the kind of polemic penned by Mr Myers.
Furthermore, in response to another allegation contained therein and which seeks to tarnish the reputation of the GRA and its ethos, I would like to point out the GRA executives travel long distances and attend many meetings in representing GRA members and are entitled to legitimately claim travel expenses, as are any other representative body and trade union executives in the course of their duties.
I am sure that Mr Myers would not deny his own NUJ representative any recompense while he went about protecting and ensuring the needs and requirements of Mr Myers and his profession.
While Mr Myers went to great lengths to convey the perceived lack of Garda visibility in a recent journey of his, the GRA would like to point out helpfully that the issue of Garda resources is an issue for central government to decide and not within the remit of the force.
Mr Myers also made some unbalanced and unfair comparisons between the injuries sustained by gardaí in the course of their duties and those of the civilian population, without clearly differentiating the fact that gardaí in Garda patrol cars face vastly different situations to those faced by the ordinary motorist who, for the majority, use their cars for commuting.
A Garda car is a working vehicle, working in difficult and often dangerous conditions notwithstanding the fact that the occupants of a Garda vehicle face the very same threats, which can hardly be the case for the civilian motorist travelling to and from work.
It is saddening to see Mr Myers use figures from 2002 in relation to Garda injuries sustained in the course of their duties while he makes no reference to Garda fatalities in the same figures when in April 2002 the force lost two of its members, Tony Tighe and Michael Padden, in a fatal road traffic accident while trying to save other motorists from harm.
Mr Myers's article, in the GRA's view, is hardly surprising and indeed reflects a sickness at the heart of Irish journalism and chiefly entails the misuse of a very powerful platform to hold forth on topics of which they have little or no facts to hand to back up some of their most outrageous claims.
There is a reality check required in Irish media and its reportage and a need for responsible dissemination of the facts and the truth.
Media coverage has a direct effect on all it covers, as was the case with the previous May Day riots, the coverage of which has forced the deferral of the cases against Garda members in relation to those riots.
Indeed, the DPP has conceded the trials were delayed due to the intense media scrutiny around the case, with one media outlet having given a undertaking not to report on the case until the trials begin.
There have been similar cases of trials in the court of law, where justice is to be served but is hindered due to the actions of some news organisations in pre-trial coverage in the quest for an advantage on their competitors. A sensationalisation has crept into Irish news media and into institutions that were once revered for their impartiality, fairness and accuracy but for the time being seem to have turned their back on those values.
I call on Mr Myers to retract the unfounded allegations he has made in relation to members of An Garda Síochána. - Le meas,
PJ STONE, General Secretary, Garda Representative Association, 5th Floor, Phibsboro Tower, Dublin 7.