McEntee says there may have been ‘a different response’ to Harris garda pictures

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said there “might have been a different response” to when she was photographed with gardai and when Simon Harris, who covered the portfolio during her maternity leave, was pictured in a similar situation.

Ms McEntee faced criticism when images of her walking down the street with gardai appeared in national media.

She said she was not on a garda “walkabout” when she was photographed with gardai in Talbot Street following an attack on a US tourist.

Speaking to RTE Radio, she said: “I met with them (gardai), I went into the station, and look, you know, people have criticised that, that is their right to do so, but my sole focus on that day was to make sure that I was engaging with the gardai to understand what happened, and how do we stop that from happening.

“I do not want any tourist or person coming into this city feeling unsafe.”

Asked about Mr Harris being photographed with gardai while covering the justice portfolio, Ms McEntee said there “might have been a different response” to when she was photographed.

“Certainly I thank Simon for the work that he did and I think he did a very good job standing in for the six months but, you know, I think people need to judge me on the work that I’m doing.”

Asked about the comments during a media event in Lucan, Mr Harris said Ms McEntee was “entirely right” to visit gardai after the assault.

Mr Harris, who was pictured with gardai during a violent feud in the Rathkeale area of Co Limerick, said: “I think Minister McEntee was entirely right to go and visit the area in which a tourist had been attacked, to go and meet with senior gardai – but not just to walk about but actually take real and concrete actions which she did in real investment in the number of gardai.

“I think situations aren’t always directly comparable. I was in Rathkeale at the request of local TDs and local ministers. I think I was about 72 hours in the job when I ended up there and we made a number of decisions in relation to the public order unit.

“Minister McEntee was entirely right to do everything that she did but much more importantly, has taken very swift action in terms of extra Government investment that will make a real difference in terms of garda visibility on our streets.”