A couple of weeks ago a Garda colleague of mine walked out of a courtroom with his name cleared. He had been on a drugs patrol, not far from where Grace Lynch died in Finglas, Dublin, last January, when he saw what he believed was a drug deal involving a youth on an e-scooter. He identified himself. The young person refused to stop and my colleague began pursuing the suspect.

Ultimately, for doing exactly what the public expects a garda to do, he was charged with dangerous driving. The judge acquitted him, but it took the better part of two stress-filled years, with the constant threat of conviction looming over him.

Another colleague wasn’t as lucky. He recently received a two-year driving ban after pursuing masked scrambler riders in the north inner city. I know this man who was acquitted. I stood beside him in court. He is a diligent and conscientious guard.

Unfortunately, these cases are not unusual. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly recently told the Oireachtas justice committee that there were a further 10 gardaí before the courts for alleged dangerous or careless driving arising from incidents on duty that involved no injuries to the public or themselves.

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Privately, each member will be working out the risk/reward ratio in their heads and an increasing number will conclude that doing their duty simply isn’t worth the aggravation.

On the same day the commissioner gave those figures, Martin and Siobhán Lynch – Grace’s parents – sat before the same committee to speak about their daughter. I have spent time with........

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