The Garda Representative Association has expressed its concern at the statements by the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell in relation to non co-operation by staff associations in respect of the Ombudsman Commission. "This is a worrying statement on behalf of the Minister," said GRA General Secretary, PJ Stone, "and we are calling on him to retract the statement as it completely untrue. We only met with the Ombudsman recently. Our contention has always being the Commission would be better served by having an independent investigative body similar what exists in Northern Ireland rather than depending on Gardai to carry out the investigation of complaints and face accusations of bias. We have never at any stage voiced any notion of non-co operation. It is of grave concern to us now that as Michael McDowell is not getting his own way in relation to the poorly-thought out Reserve proposal he is now seeking to discredit the genuine concerns of our members by trying to tarnish the reputation of the staff associations."

Mr Stone went to say Michael McDowell has done more damage to internal relations between the Gardai, their representative bodies, the Commissioner and the Department of Justice than any other politician in history. "More importantly, I believe he has done significant harm to the perception of an Garda Siochána by members of the public on whom we would find it impossible to carry out our duties if it were not for their support. The Minister's statements this week on the Reserve, when taken in the context of Commissioner Noel Conroy's remarks on who originally came up with the proposal, have caused widespread confusion over the proposed Reserve. We have a situation now where people are quite rightly asking who exactly is running an Garda Sìochàna or is it being run properly at all and is this the kind of chaotic leadership we need particularly in light of the most recent crime figures release?"

Mr Stone said the whole issue of Garda resources and the Garda Reserve needed to be formally discussed in an appropriate forum to ascertain the manner in which an Garda Siochana was being handled by the government and was an issue far too important to fudge. "We need to arrive at some concrete solutions quickly that will enable all stakeholders in Irish policing to move forward and re-establish a better sense of security in Irish society for its citizens. We had the YES forum at which people could contribute on what they required of their educational system. We need to look at something similar for the Gardai as a policing service has to adapt quickly to changing circumstances rather than trying a one-size fits all approach through the implementation of international policing  remedies that may not suit the Irish situation."