Gardai deny claims of discipline breakdown in force

An Garda Siochana has issued a statement denying that discipline has broken down in the force in response to a claims of widespread abuses and perjury to be detailed in a television programme tonight.

RTÉ's Prime Timeprogramme examines how complaints of assault and other abuses of power by gardaí are being dealt with. It includes testimony from a number of people who have made allegations of mistreatment and details criticisms that the Garda Complaints Board failed to deal adequately with these issues.

The Garda statement said they were "very concerned that discipline within the ranks of this organisation would be portrayed as having broken down and we categorically refute these assertions.

"This organisation over the years has dealt with and will continue to deal with wrongdoing by its  members through the Criminal Justice System and our internal disciplinary codes."

A number of politicians and senior legal figures are interviewed on the programme, including the Minister of State for European Affairs, Mr Dick Roche, who appeared as a trial witness when a constituent alleged he was beaten in custody. Mr Roche, a Fianna Fáil TD for Wicklow, claims the man's treatment was "tantamount to torture".

However, in the statement, the Gardai said the allegations in this case were investigated by the Garda Complaints Board, following which a file was forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions who directed no prosecution should be undertaken.

Complaints against gardaí in 2002 numbered 1,405, the highest figure to date and  up 10 per cent on the previous year. However, only seven of these resulted in prosecutions, six of which related to Garda conduct during the Reclaim the Streets march in Dublin on May 1st, 2002. Only 17 gardaí were found to have breached discipline.

The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, said in 2002 that a Garda ombudsman's office would be set up to replace the Garda Complaints Board. This has yet to be set up.

The Garda Complaints Board also  renews its call for the Government to introduce increased powers of investigation into police misconduct in the programme.

In its annual report for 2002, the board insisted that whoever succeeds it must have an independent division, which would be empowered to investigate gardaí against whom complaints are made.

The board said that while some progress had been made on the availability to gardaí of video equipment, providing CCTV facilities for the reception and cell areas of Garda stations should be a priority.

Mr McDowell published the outline of the new Garda Síochána Bill last July, which contained proposals for the establishment of an independent body, with the powers of an ombudsman, to investigate complaints. The Minister said he intends to bring this legislation before the Dáil when it resumes later this month.