GSOC received 60 allegations relating to gardai in Clare during 2023

SIXTY allegations of wrongdoing or criminality by members of An Garda Siochana in County Clare were received by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission last year, it has been revealed.

According to GSOC's annual report for 2023, a total of 1,577 complaints, containing 3,358 separate allegations, were opened nationally last year with the Dublin Metropolitan Region accounting for the highest number and Cork West the lowest.

According to the 88-page report, the most common circumstances which gave rise to complaints in 2023 were ‘customer service’ at 25% and the conduct of gardaí during arrests and when carrying out investigations both at 14% each.

The report does not state how many of the 60 allegations made against garda members in Clare were deemed to be admissible or what actions, if any, were taken.

GSOC says it also received one 'referral' from County Clare last year under  Section 102 of the Garda Siochana Act which provides for independent investigation of any matter that appears to indicate that the conduct of a member of the Garda Síochána may have resulted in the death of, or serious harm to, a person.

No further details of the incident are contained in the report.

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During 2023 GSOC files forwarded 40 files to the Director of Public Prosecutions arising from GSOC investigations, across the country, into allegations of sexual violence, assault, breaches of the Road Traffic Acts and the provision of false information.

The report, which has just been published also includes 21 case studies providing a snapshot of the range of ways in which complaints and referrals are received, progressed, investigated and resolved.

The Report also provides an overview of the outcomes of the public interest investigations closed by GSOC in 2023, as well as a summary of the systemic recommendations on policy and practice issued to An Garda Síochána in that year.

The report also details many of the activities GSOC has undertaken in 2023 to prepare for transition to is successor agency Fiosrú the Office of the Police Ombudsman later this year.

Key facts and figures from the 2023 GSOC Annual Report

* 1,577 complaints received, containing 3,358 allegations

* 61% of complaints ruled admissible

* 1,755 complaints closed

* At year end, the GSOC Investigations Unit had a total of GSOC-led 446 investigations ongoing. This compares to 621 cases on-hand on 1 January 2023.

* 35 referrals from the Garda Síochána of matters where it appeared ‘the conduct of a member of the Garda Síochána may have resulted in the death of or serious harm to a person’. 18 of these related to fatalities.

* 25 public interest investigations opened (these are investigations undertaken in the absence of a complaint or referral from the Garda Commissioner).

* 81 sanctions imposed by the Garda Commissioner following complaints.

* 40 files referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

* 28 protected disclosures received.