Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 8 February 2024

Public Accounts Committee

Financial Statements 2022 - Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission

9:30 am

Mr. Hugh Hume:

I know, but in terms of the collective oversight powers, for us to open a public interest investigation, we would have to believe that there were criminal or disciplinary breaches by members of An Garda Síochána. We would be looking at saying that management had committed a disciplinary offence. We are aware the Minister has written to the Policing Authority to ask it to carry out a review of issues relating to the Dublin riots and the Garda Síochána Inspectorate has previously reviewed the command control and social media monitoring of what happened at An Cosán and other incidents. My gut feeling is that there is a basis for a systemic review of planning and preparation and not for an individual examination of management failures. That would be best left-----