Over 450 complaints about Garda enforcement of Covid-19 restrictions

Gardaí on Covid-19 level 5 travel restriction checkpoint duty at Cork Airport. Picture: Dan Linehan

The Garda watchdog has received more than 450 complaints about Garda enforcement of Covid-19 restrictions.

The figures relate to complaints made to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc) since the start of the pandemic last year and March 8, 2021.

A breakdown shows 295 Covid-related complaints were received by Gsoc during 2020, of which 221 were closed by the end of the year.

Of those 221, 118 were recorded as queries – where a person makes an initial complaint but does not provide enough information for the matter to be considered for admissibility. 

A further 69 were deemed inadmissible and 31 were discontinued.

The most common themes in the complaints were the alleged failure of Garda members to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) in their dealings with the public, and the restrictions on movement of people across the State, including checkpoint activity and interpretations of what constitutes "essential" travel.

The details were supplied by Justice Mary Ellen Ring, chair of Gsoc, to the Oireachtas Public Petitions Committee.

Gardaí have adopted what they call the four Es approach – engage, educate, encourage and enforcement as the last resort. Picture: Denis Minihane.

She said the anonymised complaints were shared with Garda management every week to help assist in informing the national policing response to the pandemic.

Gardaí have adopted what they call the four Es approach – engage, educate, encourage and enforcement as the last resort.

And as the pandemic evolved, gardaí were given greater powers to enforce the regulations, including the ability to issue fines for breaches of the regulations.

Challenging

Petitions Committee member Senator Jerry Buttimer, said the figures show how challenging it has been for gardaí to enforce the various measures designed to protect public health.

“Gardaí, like the rest of the public, have quickly learned to adapt and work in the Covid environment in a safe manner," he said.

“They were thrust into the frontline when this began and have led the way, along with the rest of their frontline colleagues, in an exemplary fashion.

Garda officers must be commended for their professionalism and service during an unprecedented time for this country that none will ever forget."

He was among those attending a meeting of the Cork City Joint Policing Committee who called for gardaí to be fast-tracked for the Covid vaccine.

The Garda Representative Association said it believed gardaí were included in ‘group 10’ of the vaccine rollout programme – which is listed as key workers in essential jobs who cannot avoid a high risk of exposure to Covid-19.