Transition to Fiosrú increased GSOC workload
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) sent 67 files to the Director of Public Prosecutions arising from its investigations last year, according to its annual report.
GSCO received a total of 2,226 complaints from the public in 2024 and opened 37 investigations on referral by An Garda Síochána after incidents involving death or serious harm.
The agency, which was succeeded by Fiosrú (the Office of the Police Ombudsman) in April, said that it would also be publishing a later report covering the final four months of its work.
€2 million returned
Writing in the report, chair Rory MacCabe SC said that preparation for the commencement of the act implementing the transition had led to a significant increase in the organisation’s workload.
He added that delays in commencing the legislation meant that GSOC was unable to use all of its budgetary allocation, resulting in €2 million being returned to the exchequer.
MacCabe also said that the difficulty in recruiting investigators was “an ongoing concern”.
Sanctions
shows that 58% of complaints that it received were inadmissible.
It also shows that 21 of the 37 referrals from the gardaí were related to deaths.
During 2024, GSOC opened 11 public-interest investigations – those undertaken in the absence of a complaint or referral from the Garda Commissioner.
The Garda Commissioner imposed 88 sanctions after complaints, according to the report.