The Minister for Justice has dismissed the concerns of the Garda Associations over the establishment of a volunteer garda reserve force as spurious, conjured up objections.
Michael McDowell said he was not going to be frightened off or deflected from his plan to establish a 4000-member part time garda reserve, 900 of whom will be in place by September.
Speaking in Galway, he said that the Garda Commissioner can limit the reservists' powers of arrest and limit their access to sensitive files and information.
He also says that all volunteers will be vetted to ensure they are not members or associates of criminal gangs or subversive organisations.
He has called on the Garda Representative Association and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors to back him on his proposals.
He insists the reservists will not be yellow pack gardaí and that this will not be policing on the cheap.
