The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has ruled out setting up an independent ombudsman to investigate allegations of Garda corruption or misconduct. This follows allegations that officers in Waterford manipulated crime figures.
Speaking in Dublin, Mr Ahern refused to discuss the latest blow to the Garda's reputation. "I know nothing about that. I heard that the Garda Commissioner heard about it last night."
Clearly opposed to an independent ombudsman inquiring into the Garda, he said the Government preferred to create an inspectorate, though what powers it might have remained unclear.
He said there were daily calls for independent ombudsmen for all sectors of public life. "I am not too sure that we need to go down that road. A number of years ago everybody wanted regulators and now everybody is saying that we need to have regulators to regulate the regulators."
The so-called McBrearty affair in Co Donegal had been "a worrying issue" for the last few years, but the "truth" still remained disputed despite a number of inquiries and investigations.
In the Dáil yesterday, Fine Gael leader Mr Michael Noonan claimed the "alleged falsification of figures" in Waterford had undermined the "credibility" of the Minister for Justice. "The credibility of the Garda Síochána is being constantly undermined and it will take a strong effort to restore it," Mr Noonan told the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, who was deputising for the Taoiseach.
The Labour Party's justice spokesman, Mr Brendan Howlin, said the Garda had recategorised some offences in the 2000 crime statistics which helped to bring down overall crime levels.
Later, the Minister for Defence said he shared the concern over the Waterford allegations. "The allegations contained in the newspaper article are serious, but they are not and cannot be used to denigrate a record of achievement second to none in the field of criminal justice. The allegations are being investigated closely and with alacrity; the results of the investigation will be made public by the commissioner," he told the Dáil.