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Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland
Who Watches The Watchmen
Who makes complaints about gardaí and why?
In Dublin, it is the South region that complains the most.
THE GARDA SÍOCHÁNA Ombudsman Commission handled over 5,000 allegations against members of the last year, with Dublin accounting for 1,800 of those.
The Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR) is divided into six different divisions and in the capital, it’s the south division that leads the way in allegations, with 452.
The division covers Tallaght, Crumlin, and Terenure with sub-Districts of Rathfarnham, Sundrive Road and Rathmines. It is followed by the South Central division, which covers Kevin Street, Kilmainham, Pearse Street, Harcourt Terrace, Donnybrook and Irishtown Garda Stations on 383.
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In the rest of the country, Tipperary, Cork and Limerick complain the most about the gardaí, with 257, 369 and 184 allegations, respectively.
They are followed by Donegal and Galway, with 183 and 180 apiece.
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The majority, 55%, of complaints were made against rank-and-file gardaí, though 32% of ranks are unknown. 88% of the gardaí against which complaints were made were male, compared with 68% male complainants.
85% of those who complained were Irish, with 56% aged between 18 and 40. The under-18 and over 71 age ranges both account for 2% of the complaints.
35% of the allegations came as a result of an arrest or investigation, 12% because of road policing, 9% because of searches and 8% because of customer service.
Most people make complaints online, by post or in Garda stations, while 29% of the locations complaints are made about are listed as public.
Another 23% relate to Garda stations when the person was not in custody, with 19% related to incidents in a domestic residence.
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