Garda body: GSOC bugging probe flawed

The Garda Ombudsman bugging saga has been reignited following calls by the country’s largest Garda branch for the immediate resignation of the watchdog’s entire leadership.

Furious representatives are calling for further examination of how the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission conducted its investigation, including whether or not the claims of physical surveillance were ever examined.

The Dublin South Central Branch of the Garda Representative Association said GSOC’s investigation into the alleged bugging of their offices was “flawed” and claimed it amounted to “a neglect of duty”.

It is thought to be the first time a branch has gone public before bringing its motion to the national executive for a decision, and places the leadership of the body under the spotlight.

The national executive will debate the motion at its meeting on Wednesday week.

Damien McCarthy, who represents the branch on the national executive, said the motion stated “that the central executive committee has no confidence in the three commissioners of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, Mr Simon O’Brien, Mr Kieran Fitzgerald, Ms Carmel Foley and urge them to step down from their positions with immediate effect.”

He said: “The committee have discussed the Cooke report in detail and have concluded that GSOC’S investigative process and procedures are flawed and amounts to neglect of duty.

“The committee have lost all confidence in the current commissioners of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission to conduct its investigations in a fair and impartial manner and do not believe that gardaí are being treated in a fair and impartial manner.”

The GRA wants to know what inquiries were conducted by GSOC into the various incidents of suspected surveillance reported both by its own investigators and Verrimus, the British security firm hired by the ombudsman. Specifically, these include:

- Did the GSOC officer take down the registration of the suspicious white van parked across from GSOC offices?

- Did GSOC gather CCTV footage from outside its building and on Abbey St to gather information on the white van and its occupants?

- Did GSOC harvest CCTV footage from the Insomnia coffee shop about the two suspect individuals inside?

- Did GSOC gather CCTV from Dublin Airport, where a suspicious person took photographs of Verrimus employees?

Mr McCarthy said these inquiries should have been made before the finger of suspicion was pointed at gardaí. He said they also wanted to know why the commissioners did not disclose any of these incidents when they were before an Oireachtas committee.

A GSOC spokesperson said they had already commented on the Cooke Report. A spokesman for the GRA declined to comment, saying the motion had yet to come to the national executive.