Garda Ombudsman publishes annual report for 2015

Just under 2,000 complaints were received by the Garda Ombudsman last year, of which 1,102 were admissible. The most common complaints were around abuse of authority and neglect of duty.

The outcomes of all 2,176 closed complaints are listed and explained in the report, which is available from the GSOC website.

GSOC received 52 referrals from An Garda Síochána to investigate gardaí conduct, of which 15 related to fatalities. The most common circumstances for such referrals were road policing and arrest.

Fifty-eight such investigations (initiated in 2015 or in previous years) were closed during the year, half of which were able to be closed quite quickly, after initial independent examination showed no evidence of misbehaviour or criminality by a garda.

GSOC also launched 12 investigations into matters in relation to the conduct of gardaí where it was in the public interest, even though a complaint had not been received. Two were concluded during the year.

The outcomes of all investigations are included in the report.

Justice Mary Ellen Ring, chairperson of GSOC, said: “We believe that some complaints, in particular those that relate to quality of service from gardaí, are best addressed through a managerial rather than a disciplinary response. We have put suggested reforms before the Minister and Department of Justice and Equality.

“We would also like to see more engagement by gardaí with the informal resolution process, when minor complaints are made. These types of complaints, as they are currently handled, are resource intensive for both GSOC and the Garda Síochána - and often they do not provide a satisfactory experience for complainants either. Moving towards a resolution model must be a focus for GSOC.”