Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission

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The Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission is an independent statutory body in Ireland charged with overseeing An Garda Síochána, the police force of the Republic of Ireland. It was established under the Garda Síochána Act, 2005. The Commission deals with complaints from members of the public about Gardaí. It replaced the Garda Síochána Complaints Board. The Commission has more powers than its predecessor, and unlike it is not made up of members of the force. It came into being on 9 May 2007. It is empowered to:

Directly and independently investigate complaints against members of the Garda Síochána
Investigate any matter, even where no complaint has been made, where it appears that a Garda may have committed an offence or behaved in a way that would justify disciplinary proceedings
Investigate any practise, policy or procedure of the Garda Síochána with a view to reducing the incidence of related complaints

The members of the Commission are: Justice Kevin Haugh (High Court Judge and chairman of the Commission), Carmel Foley (former Director of Consumer Affairs), and Conor Brady (former editor of The Irish Times and author of a book on the history of the Gardaí).