Civil Actions against An Garda Siochana
Civil actions may be taken against the State in respect of An Garda Síochána. These actions may arise from:
- non-malicious injuries to Gardaí
- injuries to civilians on Garda premises
- legal actions taken by Gardaí
- legal actions arising from acts or omissions by An Garda Síochána
- traffic accidents involving Garda vehicles
The handling of many of these cases was taken over by the State Claims Agency, which was set up in 2000. The Department retains responsibility in respect of:
- claims which give rise to constitutional issues
- claims for compensation under the Garda Síochána (Compensation) Acts
- claims in respect of actions taken by the Gardaí in the performance of their duties
- a certain number of older cases which were initiated prior to the advent of the State Claims Agency
The information in the table below shows the amounts paid out in Court awards and out of court settlements regarding legal actions taken against members of An Garda Síochána relating to allegations of assault, unlawful arrest or other breaches of citizens' rights
| Year | Category | Assault | No of cases | Unlawful Arrest | No of cases | Other | No. of Cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Awards | €1,270.00 | 1 | €3,809.21 | 1 | €56,500.00 | 2 |
| Settlements | €166,924.48 | 6 | €106,835.58 | 10 | €185,078.82 | 11 | |
| Costs | €230,769.67 | €148,714.19 | €340,486.45 | ||||
| Total | €398,964.15 | €259,358.98 | €582,065.27 | ||||
| 2003 | Awards | €11,000.00 | €10,000.00 | €4,870.00 | |||
| Settlements | €75,000.00 | 1 | €303,011.00 | 2 | €112,814.84 | 2 | |
| Costs | €145,561.70 | 4 | €71,794.28 | 5 | €542,075.73 | 4 | |
| Total | €231,561.70 | €384,805.28 | €659,760.57 | ||||
| 2004 | Awards | €15,000.00 | 1 | Nil | 0 | €3,215.06 | 1 |
| Settlements | €198,697.48 | 5 | €73,007.00 | 5 | €50,500.00 | 3 | |
| Costs | €231,646.62 | €100,019.36 | €266,713.57 | ||||
| Total | €445,344.10 | €173,026.36 | €320,428.63 | ||||
| 2005 | Awards | €1,000.00 | 1 | €2,025,321.00 | 3 | €85,125.00 | 2 |
| Settlements | €130,250.00 | 7 | €1,569,114.00 | 9 | €58,000.00 | 2 | |
| Costs | €137,447.90 | 10 | €658,508.78 | 10 | €205,466.85 | 15 | |
| Total | €268,697.90 | €4,252,943.78 | €348,591.85 | ||||
| 2006 | Awards | €18,076.32 | 1 | €41,443.80 (3) | 3 | Nil | 0 |
| Settlements | €386,200.00 | 17 | €622,000.00 | 5 | €606,500.00 | 8 | |
| Costs | €187,797.28 | 11 | €60,983.61 | 10 | €28,983.93 | 3 | |
| Total | €592,073.60 | €724,427.41 | €635,483.93 | ||||
| 2007 | Awards | €97,500.00 | 2 | Nil | 0 | €5,246,047.00 | 4 |
| Settlements | €238,000.00 | 8 | €1,297,000.00 | 10 | €4,451,000.00 | 34 | |
| Costs | €485,944.95 | 10 | €1,488,193.20 | 9 | €1,125,597.19 | 29 | |
| Total | €821,444.95 | €2,785,193.20 | €10,822,644.19 | ||||
| 2008 | Awards | €12,500.00 | 1 | €5,500.00 | 1 | €12,500.00 | 1 |
| Settlements | €505,000.00 | 15 | €56,024.34 | 6 | €648,157.58 | 20 | |
| Costs | €816,847.70 | 15 | €713,468.42 | 16 | €4,317,975.40 | 36 | |
| Total | €1,334,347.70 | €774,992.76 | €4,978,632.98 | ||||
| 2009 | Awards | Nil | Nil | €30,610.74 | 2 | ||
| Settlements | €317,200.00 | 18 | €390,650.00 | 11 | €888,693.98 | 18 | |
| Costs | €656,881.34 | 13 | €280,600.24 | 13 | €2,397,998.80 | 52 | |
| Total | €974,081.34 | €671,250.24 | €3,317,302.70 | ||||
| 2010 | Awards | €19,240.00 | 2 | €33,184.00 | 2 | Nil | |
| Settlements | €407,500.00 | 20 | €403,194.00 | 18 | €521,300.00 | 9 | |
| Costs | €825,550.11 | 23 | €649,354.58 | 24 | €2,351,075.80 | 37 | |
| Total | €1,252,290.10 | €1,085,732.50 | €2,872,375.80 | ||||
| 2011 | Awards | €168,900.00 | 3 | Nil | Nil | ||
| (Provisional) | Settlements | €385,255.00 | 12 | €44,750.00 | 4 | €292,600.00 | 11 |
| Costs | €1,671,434.20 | 23 | €494,446.31 | 12 | €2,831,507.80 | 45 | |
| Total | €2,225,589.20 | €539,196.31 | €3,124,107.80 |