This is the 16th Report to the Minister for Justice on the Authority’s oversight and assessment of the policing performance of the Garda Síochána through the COVID-19 emergency. In March 2020, when it became evident that the onset of the pandemic would require a sweeping range of responses from Government, it was clear to the Authority that greater and exceptional powers given to the Garda Síochána would require a related and comparable change in the nature and focus in the oversight of policing.

From 8 April 2020 to 27 November 2021 there have been 3,933 suspected offences disclosed or uncovered during the course of COVID-19 policing, representing an increase of 130 incidents since the last report. There has again been no significant change in the crime types associated with these incidents, with offences relating to roads, public order and drugs offences being the most frequently recorded. The regional distribution of these offences is represented in table 2 and in figure 12 of appendix 1.

PDF p.26 A fresh approach to crime detection was initiated in 2020 and continues particularly towards understanding more fully the dynamics that influence or inhibit the successful completion of sexual violence cases. There has been a record level of seizures of drugs, currency and assets/proceeds of criminal activity through work undertaken with national and international partners. Relatedly, a significant increase in the level of detections of those driving under the influence of drugs has been achieved. 2020/21 also saw the resourcing and formal launch of the Garda Anti-Corruption Unit and the underpinning of its functions through the ratification and publication of a number of anti-corruption policies: an overarching Anti-Corruption Policy; the Professional Boundaries and Abuse of Power for Sexual Gain Policy; and, the Substance Misuse (Controlled Drugs) Policy.