Donegal Garda Division records 63 complaints in 2024 - GSOC Report

The Donegal Garda Division recorded 63 complaints against 73 members last year, according to newly published figures.

By comparison, neighbouring Sligo/Leitrim, with 36 members, recorded 47 complaints, while Mayo/Roscommon/Longford saw 73 complaints against 48 members. 

Nationally, the highest number of complaints was in the Meath/Westmeath Division, which registered 141 complaints against 138 members. At the other end of the scale, Kilkenny/Carlow recorded just 39 complaints, despite having 50 Garda members.

These figures are according to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) 2024 Annual Report, which was published today. The report details the volume and complexity of allegations dealt with by the policing oversight body in the last year. The report also provides a detailed set of case studies and details of systematic recommendations made to An Garda Síochána. 

In April, GSOC was succeeded by Fiosrú – Oifig an Ombudsman Póilíneachta (Office of the Police Ombudsman). The report stresses the importance of safeguarding independence and ensuring adequate resourcing, while also looking ahead to GSOC’s transition to an expanded and transformed police oversight body under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, 2024. 

Under Section 80 of the Act, GSOC was required to furnish an annual report to the Minister for Justice. The 2024 Annual Report was approved by the Minister on 1 October 2025 and has been published.

The Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, 2024 (PSCS Act) was signed into law by the President on 7 February 2024, and commenced on 2 April 2025. On commencement, GSOC was succeeded by Fiosrú, which has a new leadership structure with a Police Ombudsman, a Deputy Ombudsman and a Chief Executive Officer replacing GSOC’s three Commissioner model. 

The Ombudsman Commission previously consisted of three members: Justice Rory MacCabe, Chairperson, appointed January 2022; Emily Logan, appointed February 2021; and Hugh Hume, appointed February 2021 / resigned in June 2024. Emily Logan was appointed as the first Police Ombudsman on the commencement of the PSCS Act, 2024. 

The commencement of the PSCS Act, 2024, also sees a significant expansion in the organisation’s remit. 

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In the 2024 GSOC Annual Report s revealed that 2,226 complaints were received, containing 2,883 allegations; 58% of complaints were ruled admissible, 37 referrals from the Garda Síochána of matters where it appeared ‘the conduct of a member of the Garda Síochána may have resulted in the death of or serious harm to a person’, 21 of these related to fatalities, 11 public interest investigations opened (these are investigations undertaken in the absence of a complaint or referral from the Garda Commissioner).,26 were closed, 88 sanctions imposed by the Garda Commissioner following complaints, 67 files referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions and 31 protected disclosures were received.