Garda ombudsman - Commission must be impartial

THE new Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission is going to have a busy time of it judging by the number of complaints received in its first month.

A total of 399 complaints against the gardaí have been made by members of the public to the new independent watchdog set up to investigate allegations against gardaí. Arguably, at this rate, in excess of 3,500 complaints could be received a year.

With members of the force coming increasingly under public scrutiny, the work of the commission will become increasingly important. In recent weeks, for instance, graphic incidents involving gardaí were posted on the popular youtube website. The risk of individuals being set up is all too obvious.

Above all, the work of the watchdog must be impartial, fair-minded and objective. In this context, its declared intention to be “as open as possible” regarding the release of up-to-date information on complaints is a promising start.