Almost 2,000 complaints were made against the gardaí in 2017, a new report shows.
The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission's (GSOC) 2017 Annual Report was released today and details statistics on complaints received and closed by the garda watchdog in the 12-month period.
1,949 complaints in total were received by GSOC in 2017 which marks a 10% rise on the previous year.
Within those complaints, around 4,500 allegations were made against members of the gardaí.
The most common allegations were attributed to an officer abusing their authority or neglecting their duty, as well as non-fatal offences (allegations of a criminal offence listed in the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997, for example, assault, harassment or false imprisonment).
24 referrals were received from the force in cases where an officer's conduct may have resulted in the death or serious harm to someone.
During their investigations, GSOC also found practices which indicate a poor quality service to the public.
The majority of complaints were made to garda divisions in Limerick, Dublin and Cork.
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