The "drip-feeding" of the findings of a report on attitudes within An Garda Síochána through the media has been described as "another insult" to gardaí.
The Garda Representative Association accused the Garda Commissioner of abdicating his responsibility to an external consultancy firm, as it claimed he was aware of "alleged serious issues" within the Roads Policing Unit "for a number of months".
The Crowe Report, commissioned by Garda Headquarters, found that a substantial number of gardaí assigned to roads policing were not doing their jobs and had no interest in doing it.
Commissioner Drew Harris has promised to publish the report, which also shows that gardaí who were not carrying out their duties did not care that they were being monitored, and that their managers were not dealing with the problem.
An independent review of roads policing was launched after a garda whistleblower informed garda headquarters that a substantial number of the gardaí tasked with policing the roads were not doing their jobs.
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GRA General Secretary Ronan Slevin said in a statement that it is inappropriate that "once again the Commissioner and Policing Authority have quoted from a report that only they themselves have possession of".
He said: "It appears that for a number of months the Commissioner has been aware of alleged serious issues within the RPU, but it seems that he failed to take any action. Instead the Commissioner abdicated his responsibilities to another external consultancy firm.
"This once again highlights the style of management that has dramatically impacted on the morale and motivation" of gardaí.
The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) said it is "deeply concerned" by the report and called on garda management to immediately release it.
"This lack of transparency and the manner by which this report has entered the public domain is symptomatic of the broader dysfunctionality in how consultation and internal industrial relations matters have been handled within An Garda Síochána," the AGSI said.
"While we recognise that reports such as this can be valuable tools for organisational learning and development, we are disappointed by the manner of its release.
"AGSI believes that the findings of the Crowe Report, once properly scrutinised and understood, should be used as a catalyst for constructive dialogue and progressive reform, not to have the unfortunate consequence of undermining the reputation of hard-working, frontline gardaí," it added.
Tánaiste concerned by reports
Tánaiste Simon Harris has said by saying any officer who shows a disregard for road safety checks is "undermining" the work of colleagues and the wider public.
Asked to respond to the unpublished report's findings and Commissioner Harris's view that the actions of the individuals involved are "brazen and contemptuous", Simon Harris said he would "never tar any one group with one brush".
However, he added: "Having said that, I am concerned with what I've heard, and I’d like to be in a position to read it.
"Any member of An Garda Síochána who is acting in the way that the commissioner outlined is seriously letting their colleagues down in the first instance, colleagues who work every day to keep us safe and would absolutely be undermining our road safety efforts in this country.
"There are far too many empty seats at far too many kitchen tables in Ireland.
"We’ve worked extremely hard as a country, I don’t just mean as a Government, as a country, to improve road safety over many years. That progress had stalled in recent years and indeed we’d seen a negative trend, and this is disappointing and concerning.
"But I think it’s important that we have the opportunity to see the report, rather than to comment on a comment about the report."
'Report left me devastated', says road safety advocate
Earlier, a leading road safety advocate expressed his shock and disappointment at the findings of the Crowe Report.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Vice President of the Irish Road Victims Association Leo Lieghio, whose 16-year-old daughter Marsia was killed in 2005 after she was struck by a car, said it not just shocking but heartbreaking to hear that some members of roads policing are not interested in doing their job.
He said: "As someone who lost my daughter through dangerous driving, this report has left me absolutely devastated.
"To learn that the gardaí assigned specifically to roads policing, and they're refusing to do their jobs, it's open contempt., and it's not just shocking, it's heartbreaking."
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He added that the report showed that not only did gardaí fail at their basic duties at speed checks, road testing and drug driving, "but they also didn't care, they didn't even care that they were being watched or monitored".
Mr Lieghio added: "That's a complete betrayal of trust.
"And worse still, the culture of silence and fear among the management, the idea that supervisors were too afraid and unwilling to step in, that's a systemic failure and real people are paying with their lives."
He said that he had no indication that this type of attitude was held by members of An Garda Síochána.
However, he said he did know that some members were very frustrated because they were arresting people, charging them and then they are being "let go" by the courts.
Mr Leighio said: "It's all across the board, it's the justice system, the gardaí, the justice system, the DPP.
"There doesn't seem to be a will there anymore for road safety. There are gardaí, good gardaí out there that are doing their job today.
"And I say they work hard and I say 'thank you' to them, but this is the moment where the silence and the good can't just let the failures of the others go unchallenged. They have to speak up and demand better.
"The public and grieving families deserve nothing less."
Minister of State at the Department of Transport Seán Canney said there would "have to be consequences" for gardaí assigned to roads policing who are not doing their jobs.
He described the behaviour as a "dereliction of duty," adding: "I don't believe that people can just wipe this over and say 'yeah, forget about it.'"
Speaking on the same programme, Minister Canney that it was "shocking to think that these kind of things are going on in this report".
However, he added: "I haven't seen the report, I haven't read the report.
"I've just what I get from the media, but if what I get from the media is to go by, there are serious issues here."
He said such issues "needed to be sorted out as quickly as possible".
"There's no point in us bringing in laws, reducing speed limits, doing all of this kind of thing,if we don't have a functional enforcement section within the gardaí," he said.
Minister Canney said he would be discussing the matter with Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan, in conjunction with Commissioner Harris and the incoming Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly.
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Additional reporting Fiachra Ó Cionnaith
