A review of all cases involving allegations of domestic or sexual abuse against Gardaí has been launched in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard in the UK.
London Met Police officer Wayne Couzens was last month jailed for life for the kidnap, rape and murder of the 33-year-old earlier this year.
This evening, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said a team is being established to review any ongoing cases involving allegations against serving Gardaí to make sure they are being handled correctly.
Several cases have already been identified and the team may then be asked to examine historic cases.
Commissioner Harris said women have to be confident they can trust the Gardai.
“Really, I want to be in a position where I can … say this is being done well, it is being done expeditiously and it is soon to be reported to the DPP,” he said.
“Really, I am seeking that assurance for myself in terms of the behaviours of An Garda Síochana.”
He said the review will ensure all accusations of sexual or domestic violence are dealt with ‘properly and expeditiously.’
The team is being established with the assistance of the Garda Protective Services Bureau.
“What we are doing is in effect reviewing ongoing investigations,” said Commissioner Harris. “We are making sure they moving forward and making sure they are being reported to the DPP.
“When we have done that, then we will see what our next steps might be. That may be that we start to look back over a period of a number of years at older investigations and see what the outcome of those were.”
It comes after the Independent Office for Police Conduct in the UK launched an investigation into claims police failed to properly investigate two claims of indecent exposure against Couzens – one six years ago and another just days before the murder.
Commissioner Harris said women must be able to trust gardaí.
“We want to be sure that we are providing a high-quality investigative service and are looking towards making sure that our own organisation is in a position where it is protecting women and can have the confidence of women that it is protecting them from violence.”
