Ken Foxe
At least twenty members of An Garda Síochána were charged and convicted of criminal offences over the past four years.
Data obtained under FOI reveals how officers were convicted of crimes including assault, drink driving, domestic violence, and criminal damage.
Gardaí said that the information was provided by their Internal Affairs Office and that it may not be a “definitive list of all members of An Garda Síochána who have received convictions during the relevant period”.
They said that twelve members had been convicted of either careless driving or drunk driving in the period between January 2020 and November 22nd last year.
Another was prosecuted for driving without due care or attention while one was convicted of refusing to provide a breath, blood, or urine specimen following arrest on suspicion of being drunk behind the wheel.
There were three convictions for assault, one for domestic violence, and one conviction for a garda who damaged somebody’s property “without lawful excuse”.
A single officer was also prosecuted and found guilty under legislation that targets the laundering of money.
Gardaí refused to identify the gender of the 20 officers that were convicted or to provide any detail of what, if any, disciplinary action was taken against each individual.
They said: “It would be unconscionable for this organisation, engaged in processes involved in alleged breaches of discipline, not to treat the information relating to the process as confidential.”
Asked about the number of convictions of members over the past four years, a spokesperson for An Garda said they were dealt with under disciplinary regulations and that in some cases the Garda Commissioner could take the view that dismissal of the officer involved was warranted.
The spokesperson said: “Criminal conduct is deemed a serious breach, and each court conviction is dealt with on its individual merits and the surrounding circumstances.”
