The Office of the Police Ombudsman - Fiosrú

Fiosrú is the Office of the Police Ombudsman. It deals with complaints from the general public about members of An Garda Síochána (the Irish police force).

The Police Ombudsman is independent of the Gardaí.

It replaced the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission or GSOC on 2 April 2025.

The Police Ombudsman was established under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024.

Anyone can complain about the behaviour of a Garda to Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman.

However, you must have either:

• Witnessed the incident in question
• Been directly affected by the incident

You can make a complaint on behalf of someone else if they:

• Have orally consented or signed a consent form (pdf).
• Cannot give consent due to incapacity or age (you will need to provide other documents which explain this)

Complaints from children

It is generally expected that a parent, guardian, or responsible adult would make a complaint on behalf of a child or young person.

However, a child aged 16 or over can make a complaint without the consent of their parent or guardian.

Read more about submitting a complaint if you are aged under 18 on the Fiosrú website.

You can submit a complaint to Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman in one of 3 ways:

1. Online through the Fiosrú website
2. By post
3. In person at any Garda station

No matter how you make your complaint, you will be asked to complete a complaint form.

You can phone Fiosrú on 0818 600 800 if you need help filling out the complaint form.

Is there a time limit on complaints?

You must make a complaint within 12 months of the incident, but the Police Ombudsman may extend the time limit if there are good reasons for the delay.

Are there penalties for making a false complaint about a Garda?

It is an offence to provide false or misleading information in connection with a complaint or investigation into Garda behaviour.

If you are convicted of this offence, you could face:

• A fine of up to €2,500, and/or
• Imprisonment for up to 6 months

If you sent a complaint before 2 April 2025

If you made a complaint to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) before 2 April 2025 and have not yet received a response you do not need to take further action, resubmit your complaint or submit a new complaint to Fiosrú.

Any correspondence about your complaint will now be from Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman and will bear the logo and branding.

You can read more about how your complaint will be handled if you sent it to GSOC before 2 April 2025.

On receiving your complaint, Fiosrú, the Police Ombudsman, must decide whether your complaint is admissible, meaning that it can be investigated. They will then decide should either be referred for informal resolution or investigated.

How do I know if my complaint is admissible?

To be admissible, or suitable for an investigation by the Police Ombudsman a complaint must be:

• Made by someone who is entitled to complain
• About conduct by a Garda that could be considered misbehaviour
• Made within the acceptable time limit

A complaint is not considered admissible by the Police Ombudsman if it:

• Is false or misleading
• Is frivolous, vexatious or made in bad faith
• Lacks substance or enough information to warrant further action
• Relates to the act or omission of a member of An Garda Síochána while the member was not on duty, unless the act or omission alleged would, if proved, be likely to bring discredit on An Garda Síochána
• A similar complaint has already been decided

You will be informed in writing if your complaint is not admissible and the reasons why. If your complaint is not admissible, you can ask the Police Ombudsman to review the decision.

You can read more about how the Police Ombudsman decides if they can deal with complaints.

How an admissible complaint is handled

If the Police Ombudsman accepts your complaint as admissible, it may be handled in one of the following ways:

• Informal resolution or mediation
• Fiosrú criminal investigation

A list of categories of complaints suitable for informal resolution by An Garda Síochána has been approved by the Minister for Justice.

If your complaint is about a service issue, such as discourtesy or low-level neglect, the Police Ombudsman may decide it is suitable for informal resolution.

The complaint will then be dealt with under the arrangements agreed between the Police Ombudsman and the Garda Síochána. Any matter referred for informal resolution has to be dealt with in a transparent, timely, fair, objective and proportionate manner.

Some complaints cannot be resolved informally including:

• Complaints of alleged criminal conduct
• Complaints of alleged professional breaches which may expose the Garda to dismissal
• Complaints concerning the investigation of the death of, or serious harm to, a person as a result of Garda operations or while in the care or custody of the Gardaí

If the complaint is resolved informally

If your complaint is resolved informally, both you and the Garda will be asked to sign a form confirming this. No record of the complaint is kept on the Garda's personnel file.

If the complaint is not resolved informally

If the complaint is not resolved, or if either party withdraws consent or stops engaging with the process, the complaint can move forward for investigation or be discontinued.

Where a decision is made to refer your complaint to an investigation, Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, will appoint a designated officer to conduct the investigation. In conducting an investigation, a designated officer has all the powers of a normal member of An Garda Síochána including requiring the disclosure of information and the searching of a garda station.

The Police Ombudsman always investigates where a complaint relates to somebody who died or was harmed during a Garda operation, or while in Garda custody or care.

If my complaint is upheld

If the Police Ombudsman finds there is enough evidence to suggest a crime may have been committed, they will send a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who decides whether to prosecute.

If the Police Ombudsman finds that there may have been a breach of discipline or an instance of poor performance by a garda or by the Gardaí more generally, this is reported to the Gardaí, the Minister for Justice or the Policing and Public Safety Authority. Gardaí then initiate conduct or performance proceedings against the identified individual garda.

If there has been a breach, a sanction can be imposed.

The range of sanctions vary and can include a:

• Written warning
• Temporary reduction in pay not exceeding 2 weeks’ pay, or
• Dismissal

If my complaint is not upheld

If there is not enough evidence to find that a crime may have been committed or that there was a breach of Garda discipline, the complaint may be dismissed and will not be investigated further.

Can I appeal if my complaint is not upheld?

It is not possible to directly appeal against a decision made by the Police Ombudsman.

The Police Ombudsman can investigate a matter without receiving a complaint if there is a public interest to do so.

The Police Ombudsman can investigate a matter where a Garda may have:

• Committed an offence or
• Behaved in a manner that would justify the bringing of conduct proceedings.

The Police Ombudsman only handles complaints about off-duty Gardaí or former or retired Gardaí in certain circumstances.

These include circumstances where the behaviour complained of could discredit the Gardaí

Policing and Community Safety Authority

The new Policing and Community Safety Authority combines the previous oversight function of the Policing Authority and the functions of the Garda Inspectorate. It was introduced by the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 and its functions are set out in the Act including:

• Determining policing priorities for An Garda Síochána and identifying areas that require extra focus or attention to improve policing
• Assessing policing performance independently and transparently
• Inspecting policing services and making recommendations to improve them

The Authority also works with the National Office for Community Safety and the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration on the national strategy for improving community safety.