Review of abuse cases involving gardaí welcomed

Drew Harris is setting up the review on the back of the Sarah Everard case in London. File Picture

A review ordered by the Garda Commissioner into the standard of investigations into allegations of domestic abuse and sexual violence by gardaí has been widely welcomed by groups working with victims and their families.

Drew Harris is setting up the review on the back of the Sarah Everard case in London in which Met police officer Wayne Couzens used police powers to falsely arrest the 33-year-old, before kidnapping, raping, and murdering her.

It quickly emerged that three previous allegations of indecent exposure had been made against Couzens, but nothing had happened.

The commissioner said he is setting up a “small team” under the Garda National Protective Services Bureau to check if investigations for such alleged offences against gardaí were properly investigated and files sent to the DPP.

He said they might then look at older cases and said the review would also feed into a new vetting policy that was being developed.

Sarah Benson, CEO of Women’s Aid, said it welcomes the review: “Gardaí occupy positions of unique power and trust and must always be held to extremely high standards in all aspects of their lives.” 

She said that where gardaí perpetrate domestic or sexual abuse of any kind, it is gardaí, in most cases, that will investigate.

“These cases need, in order to maintain public confidence and trust, to be fully transparent and beyond reproach,” she said. 

Ms Benson welcomed the reference to vetting, to ensure no person with a history of such behaviour is granted the authority and power gardaí have. 

Caroline Counihan, legal director of Rape Crisis Network Ireland, said the review is an “excellent idea”.

Having a look at the investigations and ensuring they are being conducted properly is crucial. I understand he is going into Garda vetting and selection as well, so he seems to be taking a very thorough approach.

"You have to try and get at any inappropriate sexual behaviour as early as possible and, unfortunately, the nature of sexual violence is that it tends to progress.” 

Ms Counihan said survivors of sexual violence put “so much trust” in gardaí as they are responsible for investigating and progressing their cases.

“They are in a very vulnerable position and it is so important the public and survivors can trust An Garda Síochána,” she said. 

Mary Crilly, director of the Sexual Violence Centre Cork, said: “This is a welcome move. I’m not criticising the guards, but they are an institution and it happens in all of them, but they are the ones people go to, to report a crime. They need to trust them, that they will be believed and that the perpetrator will be dealt with.” 

She said it “wouldn’t be uncommon” for the centre to hear about people afraid to report a sexual or domestic crime because the perpetrator’s father was a guard.

She said they have also come across cases where a garda was raped by another garda but didn’t feel they could report it and left the organisation.

Ms Crilly said the Garda organisation has improved over the years and that the establishment of the divisional protective services units have made a huge difference.

Noeline Blackwell, CEO of Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, said the review is a “step in the right direction” and said it follows a Garda Inspectorate report last March.

She said they told the inspectorate that while the centre did not collect data on the issue, the people they accompanied to the courts felt very vulnerable dealing with gardaí as they were so dependent on them.

“It is not just abuse, it is abuse of a very vulnerable cohort of people," she said. 

"If gardaí get information of sexual abuse or domestic abuse by a garda and don’t follow through with a prosecution that is a very serious thing to happen. 

Gardaí have to be super vigilant because we rely on them, they are trusted by the community to uphold the law. 

She added: “This can’t be a once-off — you can’t do it once and hope it will be alright. It’s something they need to build in, a monitoring system, to ensure there is no acceptance culture of impunity or sexual misconduct.”

Joan Deane of AdVIC, the advocacy group for families of victims of homicide, said it welcomes the review as it will further strengthen the level of trust by the general public in An Garda Síochána. 

“There are clearly lessons to be learnt by the London Met with regards to the murder of Sarah Everard, so it is reassuring to hear that the gardaí will adopt similar measures and that internal processes like development of their in-house vetting policy will be influenced by this also,” Ms Deane said.

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