Fiosru must proactively report handling of domestic and sexual violence complaints

Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik TD has urged Minister Jim O’Callaghan to work with Fiosru to ensure publication of complaints made against Gardaí regarding handling of domestic and sexual abuse.

Deputy Bacik said:

“The figures revealed to me are concerningly high, given that this new unit was set up just months ago, and its functions had not been extensively advertised. Unfortunately, as it stands, Fiosru do not provide this information in an upfront manner, nor do they publish the level of complaints received in its annual report.

“I pay tribute to Margaret Loftus for raising awareness of the manner in which the institution of An Garda Síochána closed ranks in her case. Similarly, the work of Women’s Aid in publishing annual reports on victims’ satisfaction with garda responses to their complaints is to be commended.

“It should not have taken so long to see a public policy response in the form of this new unit. However, now that it is in place, its work should be advertised and reported on by An Garda Síochána.

“This is about the trust survivors can have in the Gardaí. However, ultimately, this is about our policing service acting in a timely and sensitive way to tackle one of the most insidious and dangerous forms of violent and coercive crime.

“Lives are saved when zero tolerance is shown to misogynistic violence. We cannot overstate the importance of stamping out all institutional tolerances of what can so flippantly be referred to as “just a domestic”.

ENDS

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For Written Answer on : 14/04/2026
Question Number(s): 1986 Question Reference(s): 23191/26
Department: Justice, Home Affairs and Migration
Asked by: Ivana Bacik T.D.
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QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Justice; Home Affairs and Migration the number of complaints made to Fiosrú’s new unit for tackling complaints against members relating to domestic and sexual abuse; the frequency with which he is seeking updates on measures to address culture in An Garda Síochána; his views on the Programme for Government commitments to ensure transparency and exchange of accurate information designed to improve culture across the security and policing services generally; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY

Under the Policing, Security and Community Safety (PSCS) Act 2024, Fiosrú is an independent body with statutory objectives and aims to enhance the oversight and accountability of policing in Ireland, with sole responsibility for dealing with complaints about Gardaí.

Under section 173 of the PSCS Act 2024, the Police Ombudsman is independent in the performance of their functions, including the investigation of cases and the operational organisation of Fiosrú. As Minister, I have no role in these matters.

In 2025, Fiosrú established a Specialist Services Unit to investigate incidents, including public complaints, where a Garda is accused of domestic violence, coercive control, abuse of power for sexual purposes, child sexual abuse or sexual assault. The unit also investigates public complaints where it is alleged that a Garda failed to properly investigate incidents of this nature. The unit became operational in November 2025.

The Unit investigates public complaints which have been determined by Fiosrú to be admissible and also Garda referrals of incidents involving Garda contact which have led to the death or serious harm of a member of the public. It should be noted that under the Act, serious harm includes an incident in which a person is the victim of a sexual offence or a victim of an abuse of power for a sexual purpose. Abuse of power for a sexual purpose means any behaviour by a Garda which takes advantage of their position to misuse their position, authority or powers for a sexual purpose or an improper emotional relationship with any other person.

Since it became operational, the Unit’s staff have been allocated the following cases:

• 12 investigations of domestic and sexual abuse where a Garda is an alleged perpetrator. Of these, eight are public complaints and four are investigations on foot of Garda referrals.
• 23 investigations of domestic and sexual abuse where a Garda is alleged to have failed to properly deal with a report of domestic and sexual abuse.

The Garda Commissioner is responsible for the management and administration of An Garda Síochána under section 33 of the PSCS Act. The Commissioner is independent in the performance of his functions under section 34 of the Act.

The Policing and Community Safety Authority (PCSA) was established in April 2025, following the commencement of the PSCS Act. The PCSA is an independent, statutory agency responsible for the oversight of An Garda Síochána.

The core objective of the PCSA is to oversee and assess the performance of An Garda Síochána in relation to policing services, in an independent and transparent manner. By doing so, the PCSA supports the effective provision and continuous improvement of policing services in Ireland.