Almost 200 complaints filed about Cork gardaí 

Almost 200 complaints were made to the Garda Ombudsman about gardaí in Cork last year, a new report has shown.

In Cork city, there were 95 complaints made relating to 86 gardaí, while in Cork county, 97 complaints were made about 63 gardaí, meaning several gardaí were the subject of more than one complaint.

However, the report also outlines that allegations against gardaí in the Cork city area more than halved compared to the previous year.

Five cases were opened last year on matters where it appeared that “the conduct of a member of the Garda Síochána may have resulted in the death of or serious harm to a person” in Cork.

The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission 2024 annual report presents an overview of Gsoc’s work in the period, including statistics on complaints made.

DECREASE

The report reveals a significant decrease in complaints made about gardaí in the Cork city area.

In both 2023 and 2022, this area saw the highest amount of complaints outside Dublin, with 227 complaints made about gardaí in 2023, and 181 made in 2022, falling to 95 last year.

Nationally, Gsoc received a total of 2,226 complaints, containing 2,883 allegations, and 58% of these complaints were ruled admissible.

Gsoc opened 37 cases referred to it by An Garda Síochána, where it appeared that “the conduct of a member of the Garda Síochána may have resulted in the death of or serious harm to a person”, 21 of which related to fatalities.

Three of these referrals were in Cork North, while two were in Cork city.

The report also revealed that 88 sanctions were imposed on gardaí by the Garda Commissioner following complaints, and 67 files were forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions, arising from Gsoc investigations.

Gsoc became Fiosrú — Oifig an Ombudsman Póilíneachta (Office of the Police Ombudsman) — last April.

Justice Rory MacCabe, its chairman, said that the office had implemented “significant changes in the overall processing of complaints, both from the top down and bottom up” in order to streamline and tighten the investigation process.

“In my estimation, Gsoc is now better equipped to deal with present and future complaints and, provided that it is properly resourced, the high-quality, independent investigation of complaints alleging Garda misconduct will live up to the legitimate expectations of legislators and the people,” he said.