A TOTAL OF 15 gardaí have left the force after being convicted of criminal offences in the past 16 months, new figures have revealed.

This does not include any officers who may have resigned or retired while suspended prior to a court conviction.

Two of the 15 gardaí were dismissed from the force following their convictions, while 11 resigned, and two retired. One of these held the rank of sergeant, while eleven were rank-and-file gardaí, and three were Garda reserves.

The latest figures also show that 198 gardaí have been suspended since the beginning of 2020, while more than 15,000 complaints have been received from members of the public in relation to gardaí during the same period.

The data was published by Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan in response to a parliamentary question from Sinn Féin TD Matt Carthy this week.

“The vast majority of members of An Garda Síochána serve the organisation and the state with integrity each and every day of their careers,” said O’Callaghan.

“We are rightly proud of the job they do, often in difficult circumstances.

“Of course, for the public to have absolute confidence in a police service, they must have faith that when the law is broken by those who are responsible for upholding it, the same treatment will apply to those who wear the uniform as those who don’t.”

Between April 2024 and the end of last year, a total of 11 members of An Garda Síochána exited the force following a court conviction. One of these was dismissed, while eight resigned and two retired.

To date this year, another three gardaí resigned and one was dismissed after being convicted of a crime. All 15 officers had been suspended from duty before leaving the force.

Of the 15,121 complaints made against members of An Garda Síochána, just under 6,000 related to gardaí in the Dublin Metropolitan Region (DMR).

The division with the highest number of complaints in the capital was DMR North with 1,227.

Louth, Cavan, Monaghan was the division with the highest number of complaints outside of Dublin with 1,075. This was followed by Cork City, where 873 complaints were filed against gardaí.

Of the 198 gardaí who have been suspended since the start of 2020, 63 were attached to divisions in the DMR, while 46 were based in the Eastern Region, 39 in the Northwestern Region, 37 in the South, and 13 in national units.