Figures released by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) show an 14% increase in complaints received by the Garda Ombudsman in the first nine months of 2014.
The increased level of complaints is the stand out figure in a quarterly report that shows an increased efficiency from the GSOC office.
The report finds that 1,725 complaints have been lodged this year, in comparison to 1,508 in the same period last year.
A statement from GSOC announcing the figures says GSOC believe the increase in complaints is a result of the higher profile of the office in the last year.
“It is assumed that an increased level of public awareness of GSOC is the major cause of this increase in uptake of the free public service provided by the Garda Ombudsman,” the report says.
“We are happy to see increased numbers of members of the public availing of GSOC’s service – we believe this is a vote of confidence in our effectiveness in resolving complaints and improving police accountability, and look forward to further bolstering this confidence with continuing improvements in results,” said Simon O’Brien, Chairman of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.
Long running controversies surrounding the alleged bugging of the GSOC offices made made the Ombudsman's office a household name this year.
Abuse of authority was the most common complaint, with 1,229 complaints lodged, while neglect of duty was the second most frequent report to GSOC with 1012 complaints made.
Other common complaints were discourtesy (391 complaints), improper use of information (71) and Falsehood/Prevarication (89).
Of the over 4,000 complaints made, just 23 were referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions. In 100 cases a breach of disciplinary regulations was identified and a sanction applied.
Calls received by the GSOC lo-call number have also increased, by 23% year on year, from 4,405 to 5,421.
Of the complaints lodged, 1,698 have been closed so far this year, an increase of 11%.
The report finds that the time taken to close cases has been reduced. It states:
“At end September 2014, the median of 125 days, for closure of criminal investigations (carried out under section 98 of the Garda Síochána Act, 2005) was lower than the 2013 median of 155 days.
“Time taken to close disciplinary cases (carried out under s.94 of the Act) is somewhat higher at the moment, but not considerably (315 days in comparison to 308), and this is in context of the targeted efforts being made to close old cases, the very long durations of which bring the median up. The median time for closure of cases under informal resolution (s. 90 of the Act), has been reduced from 69 days in 2013 to 68 currently.”
Time taken to receive information requested from the Garda Síochána in relation to investigations has improved significantly in 2014 over previous years, with 81% of requests for documents from January – September 2014 being responded to within 30 days.
Breakdown of outcomes of complaints
(Source: GSOC)
