Almost a decade and a half on from the establishment of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc), the Garda complaints body still enjoys an uneasy relationship with the Garda.
Last week, when Gsoc published its annual report, it was still complaining about being left in the dark by Garda management. It said that in some cases it had only learned from media coverage that a number of criminal investigations by the Garda were underway into some of the force’s own members.
It noted that new legislation was being drafted to reframe Garda oversight arising from the recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. It believed legislation should include provisions obliging the Garda to notify oversight agencies when an inquiry commences within the Garda into any of its members.
This week Gsoc also made it public that more than 70 complaints had been received about various aspects of the Garda’s policing of Covid19 restrictions. Some of these complaints, it said, related to gardaí at checkpoints not wearing gloves or masks. The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (Agsi) pointed out while it had advocated for face masks and gloves to be used by gardaí, that move had not been approved by Garda Headquarters.
In the early days of Gsoc a very poor relationship existed between the force and its watchdog. Today the length of time investigations into Garda members takes, and the lack of information supplied to them during those inquiries can be a source of frustration and stress. At the same time, Gsoc learning in the media that gardaí are being investigated completely undermines the concept of oversight and Gsoc itself.
Plans for new oversight arrangements involve some re-arranging and some merging of the three oversight agencies – Gsoc, the Garda Inspectorate and Policing Authority. It represents an opportunity to refine and improve how oversight works. But there is also a risk of fashioning new agencies looked on with renewed suspicion by Garda management and those on the frontline.