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Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

category national | rights, freedoms and repression | feature author Wednesday May 09, 2007 10:16author by NMI Report this post to the editors

featured image
An Indymedia Reporter Keeps Their Eye On The Ombudsman

Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission opens for business

Today was the official opening of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. The idea is to provide a civilian oversight of the Gardaí and provide a way for people to make complaints about the police without going through the Guards themselves. Unfortunately, only invited members of the corporate media were allowed into the opening, so this indymedia report is confined to the outside of the building.

Amazingly, the Gardaí tried to stop me taking pictures on the pavement outside, and even tried to block the camera. Eventually after trying to interrogate me they stopped and sulked from a distance. I think they realised that they couldn't arrest me outside the GSOC offices on their opening day, but they were certainly considering it for a while...

Related Links: Shell to Sea Complaints to Garda Ombudsman. | Your Rights & How to Deal with the Gardaí. | McDowell: Ireland's Next Top Model | Large Crowds Demand Justice For Terence Wheelock | Garda Ombudsman Site | Mickey McDowell Announces Ombudsman | Reclaiming the Streets: The Garda Review on Ballinaboy

The three commissioners of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission are a Sinn Féin councillor who is an ex-prisoner, a former member of the Black Panthers, and a Community Worker from Dublin's North Inner City.

Actually, that's not true. They are the former Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs, a High Court Judge, and the ex-editor of the Irish Times. So the cops don't have a whole lot to worry about there.

The GSOC will deal with complaints from midnight tonight, and it can investigate incidents backdated six months. The date November 10th 2006 is exactly six months ago, so a number of complaints relating to the Garda attack on the peaceful protest at Bellanaboy that day are expected.

According to the press release which they gave me by mistake, the GSOC is required and empowered to investigate complaints against members of the Garda Síochána, and will have a staff of around 100. It is not clear what they need the large SUV style jeep, or whether this is just to make them feel important, like some sort of rapid reaction force.

We'll see what the story is when they start receiving complaints, but on the basis of the homogeneous and establishment make-up of the government appointed commission, the pally relationship they seem to have with the minister and the cops, and the suspicious and hostile attitude to anyone from outside the corporate media which was exhibited today, I don't think we should be expecting too much...

Michael McDowell, Carmel Foley, Kevin Haugh, Conor Brady
Michael McDowell, Carmel Foley, Kevin Haugh, Conor Brady

those men in the background may be familiar
those men in the background may be familiar

Press Officer denied entrance to those "not on the list".
Press Officer denied entrance to those "not on the list".

Sharp team (in case you're wondering-that is a Christmas tie)
Sharp team (in case you're wondering-that is a Christmas tie)

 #   Title   Author   Date 
   Big Gas Guzzler     NMI    Tue May 08, 2007 23:43 
   the neighbourhood     ha    Wed May 09, 2007 01:24 
   Nicely Spotted By The Author     d'other    Wed May 09, 2007 03:05 
   how does one make a complaint?     p'd off.    Wed May 09, 2007 11:21 
   ombudsman website.     as they start...    Wed May 09, 2007 11:32 
   That 'Shite-Haugh' cultivates the look     Battle the Bulge    Wed May 09, 2007 11:43 
   When will the Terence Weelock case be coming up?     DM    Wed May 09, 2007 14:51 
   Carmel Foley     Mick Butler    Wed May 09, 2007 16:55 
   Muddy the Water Horsewank     Me and you    Wed May 09, 2007 17:18 
 10   Shell to Sea at the Garda Ombudsman     Shell to Sea    Thu May 10, 2007 10:05 
 11   The guys at the rear of the photo     paul    Thu May 10, 2007 12:14 
 12   That guy on the left     fiosa    Thu May 10, 2007 16:28 
 13   Perhaps because we don't want to remember -     the diogenes club    Fri May 18, 2007 14:00 
 14   Misinformed statements.     Jerry O'Neill    Sun May 20, 2007 14:33 
 15   Why are you guys silent about the Shannon?     Jerry O'Neill    Sun May 20, 2007 16:35 
 16   ??     Unified Thread Theory    Sun May 20, 2007 17:17 
 17   Kevin Haugh 1944-2009     RIP    Thu Jan 29, 2009 23:32 


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