Almost 30% of suspended gardaí accused of sexual violence or domestic abuse
An Garda Síochána has a robust process for dealing with suspensions, Mr Kelly said.
Almost 30% of all gardaí suspended from work face allegations of sexual violence, domestic abuse, or coercive control.
Some 96 gardaí out of a force of around 14,400 are currently suspended, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said.
This represents only a “tiny percentage” of the force, with the vast majority working ethically and “really well”, he said.
Almost a third of all suspensions this year, about 27%, are for sexual crime, domestic violence, or coercive control, Mr Kelly said.
Eight of the 96 suspensions are for corruption or involvement in organised crime, he said, and approximately 20 are for drunk-driving.
“No one wants to suspend anyone [...] but there are some cases when we just have to do that to maintain public confidence,” said Mr Kelly.
“It's in the public interest to do this, and you have to do it."
But An Garda Síochána has a robust process for dealing with suspensions, Mr Kelly said.
Every suspension is reviewed every 12 weeks, and a garda can appeal the suspension. If a suspended garda provides additional information, An Garda Síochána will examine that, he said.
A decision to suspend a garda is “never taken lightly”, he said.
“I am absolutely cognisant of the impact it has on people, and particularly on their families,” he said.
Complaints have been made about lengthy garda suspensions, with the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) saying this week that gardaí are being left on suspension for extended and undefined periods, with investigations often taking years to conclude.
Last week, the State dropped all charges against three Limerick gardaí who faced allegations of unlawful interference into potential or pending road traffic prosecutions. They had been suspended since 2019.
But gardaí only have control of how long the initial investigation into allegations prompting a suspension takes, and this is only a small portion of any lengthy suspension, Mr Kelly said.
“If a member is suspended and we instigate an investigation, in nearly all of these, it’s a criminal investigation; that’s the only part we have control over," he said.
“Some of these are complex investigations. So, for example, if there was a garda involved in a sexual crime, that is absolutely terrible, we have to investigate it really well.
“That investigation could take nine months; it could take a year to do it really, really thoroughly.
“Then we send a file to the DPP. There's a period that it’s with the DPP. The DPP make a decision, then it goes into the court process."
Judicial reviews can then also potentially be taken, Mr Kelly said.
Additionally, many of these investigations are carried out by the garda ombudsman Fiosrú instead of An Garda Síochána, he said.
But for investigations controlled by Gardaí, they should be handled as efficiently as possible, he said.
A number of high-profile cases of garda domestic violence and coercive control have come before the courts in recent years.
In January, Garda Trevor Bolger was given a three-month suspended sentence for assaulting his ex-wife, Margaret Loftus, who was also a garda at the time.
Garda suspensions more than doubled last year, rising to 42 in 2025 from 18 in 2024, reports.
An increasing number of suspensions were linked to sexual crime, domestic violence, or coercive control.
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