Fiosrú, Office of the Police Ombudsman
Fiosrú is Ireland’s independent statutory body for police oversight, established under the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024. It replaced the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) in April 2025, with expanded powers to strengthen accountability, transparency, and public trust in policing in Ireland.
Fiosrú investigates complaints from members of the public who believe they have been mistreated by members of An Gardaí Síochána, and examines serious incidents referred by the Garda Commissioner, such as cases involving death and serious harm. In addition, Fiosrú may initiate investigations in the public interest.
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Beyond individual investigations, Fiosrú plays a strategic role in improving policing standards across Ireland. The organisation reviews Garda policies and procedures, identifies systemic issues, and recommends reforms to reduce the likelihood of future complaints.
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Fiosrú also engages with An Garda Síochána and the public to promote understanding of how certain complaints are resolved directly under agreed arrangements.
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Operating entirely independently of An Garda Síochána, Fiosrú ensures that investigations are impartial, outcomes are fair, and the public has confidence in the integrity of the complaints process. By doing so, Fiosrú’s work helps build confidence in how complaints are handled and ensures that policing in Ireland remains open and accountable to the public.
Organisational Structure
Fiosrú consists of:
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Police Ombudsman Emily Logan, Deputy Police Ombudsman Brian Doherty and CEO Sheila McClelland
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Police Ombudsman Emily Logan
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Deputy Police Ombudsman Brian Doherty
CEO Sheila McClelland
Primary objectives
Police Ombudsman, whose primary objectives are:
• To promote confidence in the processes for resolving and investigating complaints made by members of the public;
• To improve public understanding of Fiosrú’s role;
• To ensure that its functions are performed in a timely, efficient and effective manner, and in accordance with fair procedures.
Complaints
Fiosrú’s main area of responsibility is to deal with complaints concerning Garda conduct. Previously each year, under the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC), around 2,000 formal complaints were opened, containing around 5,000 allegations of Garda misconduct (because there can be several allegations in one complaint).
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Independent investigations following referral from the Garda Síochána
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Fiosrú also conducts investigations into circumstances where it appears that the conduct of a Garda, or Gardaí, may have resulted in death and serious harm to a person. Such incidents are referred to us by the Garda Síochána so that the public can be confident that there is independence in these investigations.
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Public interest investigations
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Fiosrú may investigate matters in relation to the conduct of Gardaí, when it is in the public interest, even if a complaint has not been received.
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The Police Ombudsman may decide to open such an investigation, or may be requested to do so by the Minister for Justice. The Minister, the Policing Authority or the Garda Commissioner may also refer a matter for Fiosrú to consider whether it should investigate it in the public interest.
Complaints
A total of 2,226 complaints were opened in 2024. A complaint may contain more than one allegation, and the 2,226 complaints received in 2024 contained 2,883 separate allegations. The most common circumstances which gave rise to complaints in 2024 were ‘customer service’ at 22%, the conduct of Gardaí during arrests at 15% and when carrying out investigations at 13%.
Contact
Website: https://www.fiosru.ie/
Complaints can be submitted on the Fiosrú website at the following link: https://www.fiosru.ie/complaints/submit-a-complaint/
Telephone: 0818 600 800