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The Garda Síochána Ombudsman’s Commission has notified the garda administration more than 70 complaints from members of the public that mention aspects of the enforcement of the Covid-19 restrictions as a factor.
GSOC has said that many of the complaints have yet to be evaluated to see if they meet the criteria established by law to be investigated by the ombudsman.
However, in a statement, GSOC said it made the decision to forcefully share information about the complaints to help garda management “identify problems that may be arising from the enforcement of the restrictions.”
The GSOC said that the identities of the people who file complaints, and the identities of the Gardaí who are subject to the complaints, are not included in the information shared by the ombudsman with Garda Internal Affairs.
One in three complaints that appear to be related to the application of the restrictions or in which Covid-19 is specifically mentioned allege that Gardaí did not observe social distancing or did not wear gloves and / or masks.
Other examples of the type of complaints involved include claims that a garda was rude at a checkpoint, or that a garda signaled a person to return home when the person said they were going beyond the 2 kilometer limit to go to the store.
The 2 km limit included in the Covid-19 restrictions does not apply to the purchase of groceries.
GSOC said it believes that sharing anonymous details in this way in real time will forcefully alert to concerns raised by the public and allow the garda administration to address issues as they arise.
Read more coronavirus stories
Meanwhile, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said yesterday in a meeting with the Police Authority that “we are in unknown waters” in terms of the long-term impact of the new powers granted to Gardaí during the Covid-19 crisis.
He said Gardaí had “participated in more than 10,000 checkpoints” across the country last week.
Harris also said that the number of coronavirus-related arrests as of yesterday (76) illustrated how well the public was complying with the new regulations and “how sparingly Gardaí was using his enforcement powers.”
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