Concern expressed over `vexatious' complaints made against gardai

A reported 6 per cent increase in complaints against the Garda was due mainly to "vexatious" and "inadmissible" complaints, a spokesman has said. The Garda Complaints Board report shows that an increase in new complaints against the force for 1996 (1,204) was 66 more than the 1995 figure (1,138). The board dealt with a total of 1,680 complaints in 1996, including a carryover of 476 from 1995.

Of that total figure, 565 complaints were deemed inadmissible by the board's chief executive - 33 per cent more than in 1995. A further 386 complaints were deemed "vexatious" (malicious) - 60 per cent more than the 1995 figure of 242.

In 1996 another 41 cases were withdrawn by complainants before they could be considered by the board.

Dealing with the high number of cases deemed vexatious/inadmissible, the board comments in the 1996 report, published this week, that "apart altogether from the waste of board and Garda resources involved in dealing with these complaints, we have expressed concern at the effect that the investigation of these complaints has on the members concerned and their families, and on the morale of the Garda Siochana in general".

Of the total number of complaints dealt with in 1996, 225 were not proceeded with or were withdrawn. A further 137 were deemed not admissible, while 17 were resolved informally. The board comments, in the report, that it felt the need "to again express concern" that 137 cases should be found to be inadmissible, and that 126 of those complaints were deemed vexatious.

In 269 of the 1996 cases it was deemed there had been no breach of discipline, while in a further 33 cases a minor breach of discipline was found to have occurred. These were referred to the Garda Commissioner.

In five cases gardai were found to be more seriously in breach of discipline.

During 1996 the board referred 137 complaints to the Director of Public Prosecutions. He directed that court proceedings be initiated in two of those cases. One was heard at the District Court in 1996, where the garda was found not guilty, while the other case was not heard in 1996.

The 1996 report, which has been welcomed by the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, indicates an increase of 4 per cent in complaints against gardai in the Dublin Metropolitan Area (DMA) in that year, while the increase outside the DMA was 7 per cent.