About the Policing Authority

According to a report in the Irish Times 25 04 2019 by Conor Lally Security and Crime Editor, the Policing Authority reports a fall in crimes solved by Garda of ‘significant’ and ‘considerable’ concern, with a 20 per cent fall in number of motorists caught speeding last year despite 150 more personnel employed at Roads policing.

In 2018, road deaths are reported to be the lowest since records began in 1959, but Garda records began in 1922.  Serious injuries at 998 increased by 700 in the last two years and exceeded the Road Safety Authority target of 380 by 618, but the RSA are publishing flawed garda statistics since 2007 and the Policing Authority failed to address this 150-year-old issue.

On 01 07 2016, Annie O’Malley Ref: PA/2016/205 had responded to my research discovery; On behalf of the Policing Authority, I wish to acknowledge with thanks your email of 10 June in which you shared your research regarding ways to improve Garda driver training and safety. The Policing Authority's principal role is to oversee the performance of the Garda Síochána of its functions relating to policing services. The Authority also has a role in keeping under review the arrangements for training members of the Gardaí. The issues that you raise are relevant to this function and will be given due consideration as part of that work.

We welcome any further suggestions of a general nature which you may have in writing so that they may be passed on to the relevant Committees of the Authority.

04 10 2017, Annie X O’Malley Policing Authority Reference: PA/2016/205 responded to my research discovery: “We acknowledge with thanks receipt of your email of 2 October, the contents of which are noted”.

On 07 02 2018, Annie X O'Malley, Policing Authority responded Ref: PA/2016/205; “We acknowledge with thanks receipt of your email of 6 February”.

• I lodged a complaint with and about the Policing Authority as follows:
  Complaints Form, for use in making a complaint about Authority Members or Staff

Complaint; About Policing Authority delay and failure to respond to my research discoveries.

Name:  Frank Cullinane
Date:     30 11 2018 and 27 02 2019
Email; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Description of your complaint:

On 01 07 2016, Annie X. O'Malley, Garda Policing Authority responded, Ref: PA/2016/205; “On behalf of the Policing Authority, I wish to acknowledge with thanks your email of 10^th June in which you shared your research regarding ways to improve Garda driver training and safety.

Annie X O’Malley does not appear to understand that my research has discovered that drivers cannot be taught with the aid of dual controls and the Transport Research Laboratory TRL has provided 1,000 clients in 145 countries worldwide with five different and incorrect stopping distance formulas since 1946.

Gardai and the Road Safety Authority differ on stopping from 120 km/h by 1.53 seconds 51 metres, while the Police Service of Northern Ireland agrees with the RSA.  Commissioner Eddie Rock moved to the RSA as a board member while Inspector Michael Brosnan moved to the RSA as Research Manager.  Drew Harris moved from the PSNI and is now the Garda Commissioner and differs with his Deputy John Twomey on stopping distances.  Noel Brett the CEO of the RSA is now on the board of the Policing Authority, while on 19 06 2015, Samantha Clinton GSOC responded: “Mr Nick Harden, Senior Investigating Officer, will contact you in this regard, in due course”.

• Nick Harden has failed to contact me by 01 07 2019.

Road fatalities were higher in Ireland and in most countries worldwide in 2016 than in 2012, fatal road crashes in 2018 are higher than in 2017, while there were 23 road fatalities in Dublin in 2017 or the same number as recorded in 1927, 90 years ago.

These are some of the statistics from 8 countries using the incorrect TRL stopping distances as follows:

There appears to be collusion, malpractice and possible corruption at the Garda Roads Policing.  Commissioner Martin Callinan brushed my discovery under the table to protect these officers.  I expect you to rectify these mistakes and to date you have not done that.  I therefore wish to lodge a complaint.

What you are hoping to achieve? (for example, an apology, an explanation etc.):

The elimination of road crashes worldwide, not just road crashes resulting in death and injury.

Note – in describing your complaint, please provide a full description of the nature of your complaint and how you think it might be resolved, please use additional pages as necessary and sign each additional page):

It can only be resolved when the malpractice overseen by Commissioner Martin Callinan is removed, Commissioner Drew Harris and Deputy Commissioner John Twomey agree on the one stopping distance formula and Gardai lead by example and not crash their patrol cars as they learn to drive them by trial and error.

Which of the five TRL stopping formulas does the Policing Authority and GSOC use or do they both use the same one?

Please return your completed form to The Secretary, The Policing Authority, 4th Floor, 90 King Street North, Dublin 7, D07 N7CV or email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Regards, Frank Cullinane

On 30 11 2018, Clare Kelly, Corporate Governance Manager, Policing Authority responded; “I wish to acknowledge with thanks receipt of your correspondence of 30 November 2018 in relation to the complaint that you have lodged with the Policing Authority. The matter has been referred to me for consideration and I will be in contact with you in due course in relation to the matter”.

• I failed to get a response on what ‘due course’ means or to discover the reason Commissioner Drew Harris and his Deputy john Twomey used two different TRL stopping formulas or which stopping formulas the Policing Authority and Garda Siochana Ombudsman uses, so my queries continued.

On 11 04 2019, the Policing Authority said; Gardai are Over-promising and under delivering.

01 05 2019: Annie X O’Malley responded, Ref: PA/2019/75 on behalf of the Policing Authority;

We acknowledge receipt of your email of 23 April. The Code of Ethics for the Garda Síochána was established by the Policing Authority and sets out guiding principles for ethical behaviour and decision-making within the Garda Síochána. The Code does not contain any prescriptive direction on safe driving or any other specific operational matters. Compliance with the Code of Ethics, and the video to which you referred, are the responsibility of the Garda Síochána. Please be aware that further correspondence on a similar topic which you have raised previously may not receive a response.

• Note: 08 11 2016, Annie O’Malley was Secretary of the Code of Ethics meeting and Gardai were represented by Chief Superintendent Margaret Nugent, Director of Training and Development, Superintendent Pat McCabe, Garda College, Superintendent Fergus Dwyer, Internal Affairs and Grainne Shortall, HEO Policing Authority Liaison Officer, all using different TRL stopping formulas.
• Chief Superintendent Aiden Reid referred me to the RSA who referred me to TRL, who referred me back to the RSA who engaged TRL, who prepared a new stopping formula for SRA, not RSA.
• In 2016 Gardai were 94 years investigating fatal road crashes since 1922.

On 19 06 2015, after many reminders, Samantha Clinton GSOC responded to my research discovery: I wish to acknowledge receipt of your recent e-mails concerning the above. The content of your e-mails is receiving attention. Mr Nick Harden, Senior Investigating Officer will contact you in this regard in due course.

An Garda Síochána claim to have a proud tradition in serving communities and protecting the State with over 16,000 Garda members, Civilians and Reserve members who are committed to delivering a functioning police and security service and this is the cornerstone of a democratic and progressive society.

• It appears the Garda Code of Ethics, written by the Policing Authority is flawed, as

In 2019, or 150 years after police in Ireland investigated the world’s first road fatality, a road user is fatally injured every 40 hours. Gardai recorded 58 fatalities in 2019, 3 more than in 2018 and the Police Service of Northern Ireland PSNI recorded 20 fatalities, 6 more than in 2018 as follows:

Data Protection Legislation prevents me from discovering the reason 3 fatalities were removed from the daily Garda Statistics, or their names.

2016:     The Policing Authority is an independent agency which was set up with effect from 1 January 2016, to oversee the performance of the Garda Síochána in relation to policing services in Ireland. Annie O’Malley according to the LinkedIn profile is; Multi-lingual education administrator and experienced, qualified teacher. Higher Diploma in Education, BA International in Italian and Spanish, TEFL qualified, ECDL holder Advanced communication, writing and interpersonal skills developed through 12+ years of teaching.

Annie X O’Malley Executive Officer, Policing Authority does not mention any driving qualifications or if she is the holder of a driving licence.  I do not possess the qualifications which Annie O’Malley has listed, nor do I question any of them.  However, I do have the experience, training and ability to move at high-speed alongside a stolen or hi-jacked car, so close that the driver would pull in and stop or be forced off the road.

Does Annie X O’Malley use the Transport Research Laboratory TRL designed Highway Code stopping formula introduced by Parliament on the 31 07 1946, based on a driver reaction time of 0.67 seconds 22 metres when stopping from a speed of 120 km/h like Commissioner Drew Harris and Moyagh Murdock, or does she use the 1981 TRRL1004 AR Quimby and GR Watts stopping formula, based on a driver reaction time of 2.20 seconds 73 metres when stopping from a speed of 120 km/h like that used by Deputy Commissioner John Twomey, or does she use the 2017 Charity Brake stopping formula allowing a driver reaction time of 1.50 seconds 50 metres before braking from a speed of 120 km/h as outlined by the European Commission advisor Richard Cuerden, Chief Scientist and Research Director, Transport Research Laboratory TRL, for the Charity Brake?

• Annie X O’Malley, you don’t appear to understand what it is like to comfort a dying road user, break the news to the next of kin and repeat the last dying words for family members.

Frank Cullinane

2006:     “The Garda Síochána Inspectorate is an independent agency established in 2006, to ensure that the resources available to the Garda Síochána are used to achieve the highest levels of effectiveness and efficiency

2007:     “The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) is an independent agency set up in 2007, to deal with matters involving possible misconduct by members of the Garda Síochána, in a fair manner.

• Drivers cannot be trained with dual controls in 12 EDT Lessons; cars cannot be stopped in the braking distances outlined by TRL since 1946.
• On 25 05 1997, a Garda driver who braked 7 metres before impact, fatally injured a pedstrian, and was deemed blameless, while on 28 08 2014, 17 years later, a Garda driver braked 10 metres before impact, fatally injuring a pedestrian and on 14 03 2019, received a 9 month prison sentence, deferred.

Both Pedestrians are dead as Gardai are misled by TRL on stopping distances.