Half of domestic abuse victims dissatisfied with garda response, report finds
The inspectorate has since made 52 recommendations to the Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice and other agencies. File photo
The handling of domestic violence cases by An Garda Síochána has been sharply criticised by the Garda Inspectorate following damning findings in its latest report.
The inspectorate revealed that 50% of those who reported domestic abuse incidents were unhappy following their dealings with gardaí.
The highest level of dissatisfaction came from people who had reported their abuse in person at a garda station.
The inspectorate examined 68,423 domestic crime incidents on the Garda PULSE system. Of those, only 0.3% were identified as being in need of protection.
The inspectorate met with a number of people who shared their deeply personal experiences of abuse as part of the survey.
This was in addition to an online survey, which saw the inspectorate receive more than 700 direct responses from victims of domestic abuse.
The inspectorate has since made 52 recommendations to the Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice and other agencies.
It made 52 recommendations to the Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice and other agencies.
Chief Inspector Mark Toland highlighted some of the recommendations proposed in response to the findings.
“The Garda Síochána has taken a number of important steps to prevent abuse from occurring, increase protection for victims and bring offenders to justice,” he said.
“These include a pro-arrest policy, the introduction of a structured process to identify risk to victims, investment in training for personnel and the creation of a number of new roles to enhance the organisation’s response to domestic abuse. However further improvements are required to ensure that all victims receive a trauma-informed service that is of a consistently high standard.”
Chief Inspector Toland described the situation as “concerning.”
“Our engagement with victims and support services highlighted the inconsistency of service that victims receive when they report their abuse to the Garda Síochána. It is concerning that half of victims who responded to our survey were dissatisfied with the service provided and in particular, the experience of victims who report their abuse at a garda station needs to be examined.
“I would like to be clear that during this inspection we met many garda personnel who were committed to delivering a high quality service. The challenge now for the Garda Síochána is to ensure that all victims receive a high level of trauma-informed service regardless of how or where their abuse is reported.”
He urged victims of domestic abuse not to be discouraged from coming forward.
“If fully implemented, these recommendations will help the Garda Síochána and other agencies to work more collaboratively to protect and support victims of domestic abuse. They will also contribute to greater collaboration in tackling offenders ensuring that they are more effectively managed and their abusive behaviour is interrupted.
"I would also take this opportunity to encourage anyone who is or has been subjected to domestic abuse to report it to the Garda Síochána. Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to those victims of domestic abuse who shared their deeply personal experiences with the inspection team. It was critically important that this report captured the experiences of victims of domestic abuse.”
