Madam, – In a report by Lorna Siggins, Benny McCabe was critical of the gardaí, describing their behaviour as “anathema to the spirit of community policing” (“Gardaí acted with impunity at Corrib site, says ex-garda”, January 7th).
He said that “75 per cent of complaints made about policing aspects of the Corrib gas project were admitted for investigation” by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.
It is important that readers understand that admitting a complaint for investigation does not imply that the commission has taken a view on the appropriateness or otherwise of Garda conduct. Such an inference cannot be drawn.
The threshold for admissibility of a complaint about Garda conduct is set out in the Garda Síochána Act, 2005.
It is a low threshold: if a complaint is made by a member of the public within a specified time frame, and if the conduct alleged would, if substantiated, constitute misbehaviour by a member of the Garda Síochána, then the commission may admit the complaint for investigation.
However, admitting a complaint for investigation does not imply any pre-judgment by the commission, which takes an evidence-based, impartial approach to all its investigations. – Yours, etc,