More than 1,170 complaints were made last year against members of An Garda Siochana, new figures released today revealed.
Around 20 per cent of all complaints came from revellers who claim gardai, called to break up a fight, assaulted them.
The complaints, which include abuse of authority, discourtesy, neglect of duty and discreditable conduct, were down 5 per cent on 2004, the Garda Siochana Complaints Board found.
But radical reforms are expected to quicken the procedure and benefit all concerned.
The new Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commissioner, to be launched this year to investigate complaints against members of the force, has already been allocated €10 million.
The Minister for Justice Michael McDowell also revealed Gardai can be investigated even after retirement. Mr McDowell said it was important that all officers faced the complaints made against them.
Board Chairman Dr Gordon Holmes said: "There are a huge number of complaints made to us from incidents after closing time."
From a total of 1,173 recorded complaints, 269 were withdrawn, 50 were resolved informally, 51 minor breaches were referred to the Garda Commissioner and 23 serious breaches of discipline were dealt with by a tribunal board.
He said people who take umbrage from their arrest think the Gardai are an easy target to blame for their injuries despite fighting after a night out. He said many of those complaints were found to be inadmissible.
PA