Incidents of Death And Serious Harm 2024

Fiosrú publishes inaugural report on Incidents of Death and Serious Harm

37 incidents referred by An Garda Síochána in 2024, with 21 deaths and 21 cases of serious harm
Road traffic incidents and people vulnerable or at risk prominent in referrals
Prevalence of mental health difficulties and alcohol or drug use in incidents

For a copy of the full report, please click here.

Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, today launches its inaugural research report on Incidents of Death and Serious Harm 2024. The report examines incidents involving contact with gardaí where a member of the public has died or been seriously injured.

In 2024, 37 statutory referrals of incidents of death or serious harm were reported by An Garda Síochána to Fiosrú’s predecessor body, GSOC. These incidents involved 42 people, 21 of whom died, with 21 seriously harmed.

The figures show that vulnerability and crisis were central features in many of the incidents.

Of the 37 referrals, 18 involved people with known mental health difficulties.
Alcohol was a factor in 19 referrals, while 13 referrals involved drug use.
Taken together, 29 incidents involved at least one of these three factors, accounting for 78% of all referrals.
In four incidents, people who were homeless or had a history of homelessness were involved.

The 37 referrals are split into four categories in the report.

Road traffic incidents accounted for 13 referrals, resulting in three deaths and 15 non-fatal injuries.
Incidents in or following Garda custody accounted for eight referrals, involving five deaths and three serious injuries.
There were 10 referrals relating to apparent or attempted suicides, including nine deaths.
The remaining six referrals involved other Garda contact before the person died or was seriously harmed, involving four deaths and two serious injuries.

The demographic profile is also notable. Of the 42 people involved, 37 were male. Six people were aged under 25, all of whom were involved in road traffic incidents. The largest age category recorded was 31 to 40 years, accounting for 17 people, or 40% of all those who died or were seriously harmed.

The report also details the progress and outcomes of investigations conducted by specially trained investigators, who are often accompanied by family liaison specialists. At the conclusion of our investigations, Fiosrú’s role is to either make recommendations to the Garda Commissioner for potential internal disciplinary proceedings or to send files to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to consider criminal prosecutions. To date, the status of Fiosrú’s investigations are:

15 preliminary examinations discontinued following independent assessment.
14 disciplinary investigations opened, of which two resulted in recommendations to the Garda Commissioner for disciplinary proceedings.
Eight criminal investigations initiated, including two which identified an apparent criminal offence where files were referred to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Police Ombudsman Emily Logan said:

“These figures demonstrate both the complexity of the situations frontline gardaí face and the value of strong, independent oversight. Behind every one of the 21 deaths and 21 incidents of serious harm is a person and a family dealing with trauma and loss. The fact that almost eight in ten of these referrals involved people with mental health difficulties, or users of alcohol or drugs, shows that gardaí are repeatedly encountering people who are vulnerable or in crisis. Policing alone cannot shoulder these complex issues. This raises the question as to whether a wider, coordinated response across health, addiction, housing and social services is necessary.”

Ms Logan continued:

“The incidents documented in this report are exceptional and represent but a small fraction of the investigations which Fiosrú carries out each year. The often challenging and complex circumstances behind these referrals provide real opportunities for learning with the objective of minimising harm and preventing deaths in the future. As Ireland’s independent policing oversight body, Fiosrú seeks to contribute where it can to fostering capacity and resilience among frontline gardaí in responding to challenging or high-risk scenarios. My hope is that the yearly publication of this statistical data and analysis will facilitate better understanding of systemic issues and areas for improvement for consideration by the Garda Commissioner.”

Notes to Editor

Section 102 of the Garda Síochána Act 2005 provides for the independent investigation of referrals from An Garda Síochána relating to incidents where the conduct of a Garda member may have resulted in the death or serious harm of a person. This statutory provision was replaced by section 203 of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act 2024 which entered into force in April 2025.
Section 203(1) states that:

“The Garda Commissioner shall, subject to subsection (2), without delay, refer to the Police Ombudsman any matter that appears to the Garda Commissioner to indicate that the act or omission of a member of garda personnel may have resulted in the death of, or serious harm to, a person.”