Byrne says he would welcome public inquiry into Abbeylara

The Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, has said that he would welcome a public inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the shooting dead of Mr John Carthy at Abbeylara.

Mr Byrne said he agreed with the comments made by the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, in relation to a public inquiry, if the Government loses its appeal over last week's High Court ruling on the Oireachtas committee hearings.

The Garda S∅ochβna had nothing to hide in relation to the case, Mr Byrne said in Galway. "It grieves me that people should suggest there is a secrecy culture in the Garda S∅ochβna," he told The Irish Times.

Asked if he felt there should be a public inquiry anyway, irrespective of a Supreme Court challenge, the Commissioner said that it was very important for the public to know the facts.

"We'll welcome any forum," he said. He declined to comment on the decision by members of the Emergency Response Unit in the first place to take the High Court challenge in relation to appearing before the Oireachtas committee hearings.

Mr Byrne, who was addressing Galway Chamber of Commerce, said the Garda would be examining the pilot scheme of on-the-spot fines for public order offences, which is due to be introduced in the west Midlands region of Britain. The Garda made an average of over 6,000 public order detections nationwide per month, with 985 of these detections in Galway city last year, he said.

Alcohol was the major cause of these offences, he said. If the British on-the-spot fine system worked, it might go some way towards increasing levels of Garda presence on the street.

It had been estimated that it took three hours of Garda time to deal with each public order offence case, from the time first detected until finally dealt with in the criminal justice system.

A system of fines, imposed when a person had sobered up, could reduce such administrative demands and increase resources, he said. However, it would require new legislation.

Broader societal issues were relevant, including the lack of alcohol-free environments for young people, more disposable income available to them and less parental or community controls.

"What we are dealing with are behavioural issues, and what must not be lost sight of is the whole issue of individual responsibility," Mr Byrne said.

Irish people were unique, he added. "Why is it that the biggest problem when going to Iran for the World Cup qualifier is how we are going to get drink?" he remarked.

Asked about his attitude to zero tolerance, Mr Byrne said he did not agree with it. "We are an unarmed police force that polices with people's consent, and I don't believe people in this country want us to deal harshly with every person," he said.

Every town and village in the State demanded more Garda visibility, Mr Byrne told the chamber. Galway was "not dealing too badly" with an increase of 10 per cent strength in the Galway division since 1997.