AN GARDA SÍOCHANA and its independent oversight bodies are set for a major overhaul this year as a new Bill goes through the Oireachtas.
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission , the body tasked with receiving complaints about the Gardaí, has been criticised by everyone from complainants who find their complaints are getting nowhere to international bodies who say the body isn’t properly empowered or resourced to do their job effectively.
The Ombudsman will now receive all complaints, but the expanded workload will need to be matched by proper resourcing and expertise. There’s no new duty on gardaí to cooperate in a timely manner, as called for by GSOC itself, nor is there any new power to sanction gardaí for failing to act on its findings.
Ostensibly this person will have the right to access everything done by the State in the name of national security, to ensure everything is lawful and the State isn’t going too far in infringing on rights. Examples from other jurisdictions have been blanket surveillance of the whole population, targeted policing on the basis of racial or ethnic profiling, disproportionate use of force, unfair trials and even ill-treatment of detainees.
Importance of transparency The PSCS Bill also reforms the Policing Authority, a body established in 2015 which has brought much-needed transparency and accountability to the Garda. This body will be merged with the Garda Inspectorate and be called the Policing and Community Safety Authority.