Mountnugent Garda whistleblower Sgt Maurice McCabe.

Fianna Fail hail 'vindicated' Cavan whistleblower McCabe

Fianna Fáil has hailed Garda Sergeant Maurice McCabe and says the Mountnugent man has been fully vindicated but that the gardai face a crisis of public support.
The party’s Justice Spokesperson Niall Collins said: “This report is unequivocal in its vindication of Sergeant Maurice McCabe. It underlines just how wrong the former Justice Minister Alan Shatter and others were in their quest to undermine such a well-respected and hardworking member of An Garda Síochána who sought only ensure the proper administration of justice. And it shows how wrong the Taoiseach and his Fine Gael and Labour colleagues were to continue to protect Alan Shatter for so long throughout this crisis,” he said.
The party is calling for a “new era of reform” in An Garda Síochána, after the publication of the Guerin Report into the claims of the Garda whistleblower, which ultimately cost Justice Minister Alan Shatter his job.
“The priority must be to restore the garda force to the level of public respect that it deserves. Never have we experienced such a serious crisis in the gardaí. The sad reality is that it did not have to come to this. By arrogantly dismissing garda whistleblowers and failing to take their allegations seriously, the Government and senior garda management did a grave injustice to the vast majority of hardworking gardaí who go above and beyond the call of duty to serve the public interest every day.
“As public representatives, we all have duty to work together to ensure that this crisis is resolved, that hardworking and honest gardaí now get the support they deserve and that public faith is fully restored in An Garda Síochána,” he said.