The number of Garda members declaring domestic violence orders have been issued against them has increased.
The Irish Times has learned 17 orders were declared by members of the force last year, with sources indicating this was a record number.
Those Garda members who declared orders were granted against them by the courts are not necessarily suspended from their jobs, as they are not charged with a criminal offence.
Disciplinary action can be taken against gardaí if they do not declare they are subject to an order and it later comes to light.
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However, strict privacy rules are applied by the courts to each case. That means an employer, including An Garda Síochána, is not informed when an order is granted against one of its employees.
As a result, under Garda regulations, a system of self-declaring such orders applies to all members of the force. Failure to comply is regarded as a serious breach of discipline.
Garda Headquarters said each declaration by gardaí of a domestic violence order is considered on a case-by-case basis. Depending on the work those gardaí are involved in, which could include domestic violence cases, they can be redeployed to “an alternative duty”, if deemed necessary.
Five years ago, then Garda commissioner Drew Harris said 21 domestic violence orders were declared by Garda members over a near three-year period, covering 2019, 2020 and the first 10 months of 2021. The fact that 17 orders were declared last year represents an increase of more than double the average annual rates in the previously recorded period.
In reply to queries, Garda Headquarters confirmed that, at the end of last year, 13 of the 17 orders declared in 2025 were still active, and four had expired. Of those still active, 10 were protection orders and three were safety orders.
“The Garda Commissioner [Justin Kelly] has made it very clear that there is zero tolerance for domestic abuse outside and inside of An Garda Síochána,” Garda Headquarters said. It added Kelly had also encouraged any member of the Garda who was a victim of domestic violence to come forward and report it for investigation.
None of the orders issued against Garda members and declared last year was a barring order. These are the most serious domestic violence orders and can result in an abusive or violent person being banned from a home for up to three years.
Protection orders are granted for a temporary period and prohibit the respondent from using violence, or threats or actions that put the applicant in fear. Safety orders are similar, but can apply for up to five years. Unlike barring orders, those subject to protection or safety orders are not required to leave a family home.
