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Whistleblower: Maurice McCabe

Sycamore Tree

RTE are doing a two part documentary on Sgt Maurice McCabe. I think it should be a must watch for people. This honourable man was nearly destroyed by a corrupt Garda management for trying to do the right thing.

His courage and bravery should be rewarded by the state but I think any future whistleblowers will think twice before trying to highlight bad practice in the Gardaí.

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MrMusician18

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

3 officers had disciplinary investigations taken against them for cancelling points they were not authorised to cancel. 10,000 fcpn cancelled a year using discretionary powers. Gardai cancelling tickets for family members. Gardai cancelling tickets that were well outside their district. I'm not sure what you call that except corruption. The O'Mahony report was a whitewash. the gardai are incapable of investigating themselves.

Quoting the Minister for Justice:

"It is only fair to acknowledge that these reports, and their findings and recommendations, are in response to allegations of improper cancellation of fixed charge notices. But any fair assessment must also conclude, on the evidence available, that a great many of the most serious allegations have been found to be utterly without basis, including allegations of avoidable road fatalities linked to speeding drivers being improperly let off fixed charge notices, and allegations of hundreds of PULSE records being destroyed."

I think there was also another whistleblower iirc?

I'm only going by what on the record.

ohnonotgmail

MrMusician18 wrote: »

Quoting the Minister for Justice:

"It is only fair to acknowledge that these reports, and their findings and recommendations, are in response to allegations of improper cancellation of fixed charge notices. But any fair assessment must also conclude, on the evidence available, that a great many of the most serious allegations have been found to be utterly without basis, including allegations of avoidable road fatalities linked to speeding drivers being improperly let off fixed charge notices, and allegations of hundreds of PULSE records being destroyed."

I'm only going by what on the record.

Funnily enough they decided to exclude all the cancellations by the 3 officers who were further investigated from the report. Never to be mentioned again. Odd that.

Plumbthedepths

Attorney General examining if it's possible to hold Callinan personal liable for some of the costs arising from the McCabe debacle. He won't get jail but it would be nice to see him bankrupt by his actions.

ohnonotgmail

Not to mention

•

Of the terminations conducted outside the Garda adm
inistrative policy on
terminations,
this examination
has found that the two predominant areas that were
not
strictly within procedural guidelines centred on;

The creation and retention of audit material.

Authorised officers terminating FCN’s for offences detected outside their Garda Districts.

the first of those reads to me like records being destroyed. the second looks like doing favours for family and friends. and these were the ones that they did not require a disciplinary investigation. Which makes you think how bad the ones that did require disciplinary investigation were.

realdanbreen

Mrsmum wrote: »

Maybe he didn't mention it in the TV programme because it really isn't the substantive issue in his story.

Of course it is a substantive issue. Had he confronted his colleagues about their behaviour and they persisted in it then nobody would have had an issue with him. But going behind their backs is what appears to have rankled his colleagues. Do you not think that if a worker in An Post or the teachers union acted likewise that their colleagues would not shun them?

ohnonotgmail

realdanbreen wrote: »

Of course it is a substantive issue. Had he confronted his colleagues about their behaviour and they persisted in it then nobody would have had an issue with him. But going behind their backs is what appears to have rankled his colleagues. Do you not think that if a worker in An Post or the teachers union acted likewise that their colleagues would not shun them?

Well if co-workers turn up drunk to a suicide i think it has gone slightly beyond a talking to.

realdanbreen

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

Of course I'm serious. You seem to think that the Sergeant in charge has the right to handle all disciplinary matters and say nothing to his superiors. I served in the military and have worked in management in the private sector since I left. You are clueless as to how matters of discipline should be dealt with . First of all it depends on severity of transgression committed and the discretion of the immediate supervisor as to whether they are allowed to deal with it or inform more senior management. 3 off duty guards driving an unmarked Garda car while drunk is outside the sanctionable remitt of the sergeant in charge.

You said earlier that he may have spoken with his colleagues about it and now you are suggesting that he it would be the wrong thing to do!

tayto lover

What rank of garda could cancel penalty points, anyone know?
What reasons had to be given for doing so?

ohnonotgmail

tayto lover wrote: »

What rank of garda could cancel penalty points, anyone know?
What reasons had to be given for doing so?

No reason needed. they had discretion.

Ceist_Beag

realdanbreen wrote: »

Of course it is a substantive issue. Had he confronted his colleagues about their behaviour and they persisted in it then nobody would have had an issue with him. But going behind their backs is what appears to have rankled his colleagues. Do you not think that if a worker in An Post or the teachers union acted likewise that their colleagues would not shun them?

So what, you think he should have given his colleagues a second chance is it? Those colleagues who turned up drunk at a suicide and went about tampering with the evidence - you think it's ok to look past that so long as it doesn't happen again eh?
Quite how what they did could compare with anything a colleague in An Post or a teacher might do is beyond me!

tayto lover

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

No reason needed. they had discretion.

What rank though? Surely a lowly garda couldn't cancel them.

Plumbthedepths

realdanbreen wrote:

You said earlier that he may have spoken with his colleagues about it and now you are suggesting that he it would be the wrong thing to do!

Actually I said I didn't know if he did. I'm capable of speaking for myself without you interpreting what i say or putting words in my mouth. I also stated it would depend on the transgression as to whether he had discretion to deal with it.

ohnonotgmail

tayto lover wrote: »

What rank though?

According to the O'Mahony report all ranks had discretion.

tayto lover

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

According to the O'Mahony report all ranks had discretion.

But Mc Cabe said that those who did went behind the backs of the garda who issued them so I thought it had to have been a higher rank.

ohnonotgmail

tayto lover wrote: »

But Mc Cabe said that those who did went behind the backs of the garda who issued them so I thought it had to have been a higher rank.

apparently not.

Knex*

Raheem Euro wrote: »

A coincidence all these accusations cooked up directed and McCabe and then dropped when he didn't fold and stood his ground.

The other big one was the loss of the evidential computer in a pedophile investigation into a priest. Guards were all going to testify that the computer had been handed to McCabe and he took it into his possession. Then it was lost - the implication would be deliberately lost. Once again dirtying him with tag that would turn everyone against him - paedo. McCabe could do little more than deny this. He was saved by incredible good luck and carelessness on the part of the people out to destroy him. The original investigation file was acquired by an ally in the station. Original documents proved he had nothing to do with evidence and the computer was never given to him. The stich up was dropped. With no explanation from or action taken against those involved.

It's actually sickening.

Mrsmum

realdanbreen wrote: »

Of course it is a substantive issue. Had he confronted his colleagues about their behaviour and they persisted in it then nobody would have had an issue with him. But going behind their backs is what appears to have rankled his colleagues. Do you not think that if a worker in An Post or the teachers union acted likewise that their colleagues would not shun them?

Your post reads like they were a group of schoolchildren doing a bit of messing rather than police officers. As far as I'm concerned normal workers in any job are not behaving as if the rules of that job and of their position don't apply to them nevermind doing it openly and regularly. Do you really think if An Post workers or teachers were found drunk on the job and reported,that their focus would be to start a campaign against the person who reported them. And do you think their collegues would take offense on their behalf after such behaviour. Only people who have gotten so used to bending the rules that's it's become normal to them would think they were hard done by in these same circumstances. Did the other 'good' guards not disagree with this kind of behaviour.

tayto lover

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

apparently not.

I think you might be wrong here. It seems a Garda couldn't do that. It had to be a high ranking Garda according to the RTE News but I don't know what rank.

Goldengirl

This post has been deleted.

Tell me how

KaneToad wrote: »

Watched a bit of it but switched it off. Over the top and mawkish. There was a report produced by the tribunal that contains all the facts.

I could do without the ominous mood music and lingering close ups. This, unfortunately, appears to be the way that RTE likes to deal with some factual current affairs topics. Turning an important series of events in Irish life into a sentimental TV show. I think it detracts from the seriousness of the events.

Try reading Michael Clifford's book, A Force for Justice if you have a problem with RTE's production.

Captain Obvious

tayto lover wrote: »

I think you might be wrong here. It seems a Garda couldn't do that. It had to be a high ranking Garda according to the RTE News but I don't know what rank.

Inspector is the lowest rank that could cancel. I think they did have to pick a reason from a drop down menu but I think there was an "other" option where a description box had to be filled in. Often this box would not be properly completed as there was no standard requirement for what should be in it.

tayto lover

Goldengirl wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Agree.
But the new Commissioner is again too close to the politicians and has also come from an organisation steeped in secrecy. In fact he was high up in the secrecy stakes.

Goldengirl

This post has been deleted.

Laois_Man

Just watched it on RTE player

Are we supposed to have any confidence that the policing standards in Bailieborough Garda Station are any higher now than they were in the 00's?

I didn't get any such confidence from Part I

What's more, are we supposed to have any confidence that the policing standards in any other Irish Garda Station are any higher than in Bailieborough?

I didn't get that either from Part I

Do you think I'll get it from Part II?

I don't expect to!

I feel more sorry for McCabe's wife in the whole thing than anyone else. You can sense there were many rows between them during all of this - that he wouldn't just let it go, even after he transferred to Mullingar and swore he wouldn't take anything in that Garda station on even if the unit didn't come in to work, and then someone tells him that some people are getting off on multiple traffic offenses and he starts writing to The Taoiseach and Government ministers and chasing it up with Noel Brett. She won't say it on camera, but I'd say she wanted to kill him herself a number of times!

twinytwo

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

Attorney General examining if it's possible to hold Callinan personal liable for some of the costs arising from the McCabe debacle. He won't get jail but it would be nice to see him bankrupt by his actions.

Only in ireland would this happen... but then am i surprised?

The one guard who actually did his job, the farce that ensues and all the perpatraitors walk away with essentially slap on the wrist. and sure didnt o Sullivan get a nice cushy job in the eu so she would retire without making a fuss instead of getting jail time.

Good old ireland, corrupt to the core

And i wonder where all the snowflakes are protesting this? But i supposed its a real world problem so they know nothing about it

Captain Obvious

Laois_Man wrote: »

Just watched it on RTE player

Are we supposed to have any confidence that the policing standards in Bailieborough Garda Station are any higher now than they were in the 00's?

I didn't get any such confidence from Part I

What's more, are we supposed to have any confidence that the policing standards in any other Irish Garda Station are any higher than in Bailieborough?

I didn't get that either from Part I

Do you think I'll get it from Part II?

I don't expect to!

i don't think that's the goal of the program.

Edgware

The A.G. etc will huff and puff and then do nothing because of "precedent" from other Tribunals where people including politicians got costs sorted.

Aidric

What Maurice McCabe and his family was put through is utterly unconscionable. They have shown incredible resolve to get through the ordeal.

It was clear from the documentary that he had a passion to be a guard and act with the highest standards. As soon as he raised concerns there was a concerted campaign to crush him.

Callinan came across as an odious bully. His aggressive and arrogant body language during the PAC hearings surrounded by his lackeys said a lot. His subsequent threat to McGuinness in the hotel car park meeting bore this out. He should be before a court for the damage inflicted on this man and his family.

Goldengirl

This post has been deleted.

cursai

Hope he's not too traumatised to have appeared in party two of his show on the national broadcaster. I know he likes to keep his head down.