Former chairman of the Public Accounts Committee John McGuinness has said the Government should take action and replace Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, he said the time has come for action, that the gardaí are central to everything we do in this country and we cannot afford to have "scandal after scandal".
He added that trust has been shattered in communities across the country and he believed a 'Patten-type commission' should take place.
He said: "I think the Government have to take action and ensure that the Commissioner is replaced. It is only the Government that can take this action but I believe, on the basis of the trust that has been shattered in local communities all over the country, and the fact that the extent of the issues are so serious for the gardaí that some new approach will have to be taken."
Last week, Ms O’Sullivan appeared before the justice committee, a week after gardaí announced they had discovered almost one million false breath tests and 14,700 wrongful convictions.
She accepted that gardaí may have acted dishonestly by inputting false breath test figures into the garda computer system.
However, she told the committee that gardaí have still not established the reasons why almost a million false breath tests were recorded.
Mr McGuinness said the message coming from the Fianna Fáil front bench is that they "cannot express confidence" in Nóirín O'Sullivan which was, he said, a big statement.
He said that there are excellent gardaí in the force and they need a leadership role.
He encouraged the Government to take decisive action on the matter.
His call comes as Sinn Féin continues its motion on the Government to remove Ms O'Sullivan as commissioner.
Last week, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that he retains his confidence in the commissioner.
Mr Kenny said the Government had made important changes to An Garda Síochána, including appointing Mary Ellen Ring to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, setting up the Garda Inspectorate and bringing in a "completely independent" Policing Authority.
But, he said, it would take some time for the authority to have a real impact on the culture and the perception of the force.
