Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring:

Perhaps a quarter or more of our cases could be dealt with by the Garda, with the oversight and assistance of GSOC. That is what we are hoping the Pearse Street project will allow, namely, that the Garda will build up its own way of dealing with what would be considered to be low-level complaints that could and should easily be resolved within the station. For instance, we have had complaints that when a person goes to a Garda station to recover a phone, he or she cannot find anyone to answer his or her query. Somebody should be able to meet people at the desk, take their particulars, make inquiries and if the telephone should be returned then they should return it. People should not come to GSOC to have an investigation opened that requires the intervention of a superintendent. If the telephone is there and there is a reason for it to be retained then that should be explained to the member of the public but if there is no reason then it should be given back to the member of the public. Gardaí should be doing that.