Gardaí have expressed confidence that all problems identified in a critical report of the force’s handling of investigations into sexual offences against children are being addressed.Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan said a comprehensive policy offering guidelines to all gardaí on the investigation of sexual offences involving children and vulnerable adults has been put in place.
His comments follow the publication of a Garda Inspectorate report which was submitted to government in 2010 but withheld until this week due to legal problems.
The report, commissioned following the Murphy Commission’s report into the handling of clerical sex abuse by the Archdiocese of Dublin, criticised Garda record-keeping of reports on child sexual abuse as well as "turf issues" between the force and the HSE.
The inspectorate claimed poor record-keeping had allowed up to 65% of sex crimes against children to go unrecorded in the Garda computer database.
Mr Callinan said he accepted the report’s findings but said there had been different interpretations on how allegations of child abuse were recorded.
He told the PAC 80 gardaí and 20 HSE staff had now received specialised training in investigating cases of child sexual abuse.
Mr Callinan said gardaí had implemented most of the 233 recommendations in all reports from the Garda Inspectorate to date.
His comments follow the publication of a Garda Inspectorate report which was submitted to government in 2010 but withheld until this week due to legal problems.
The report, commissioned following the Murphy Commission’s report into the handling of clerical sex abuse by the Archdiocese of Dublin, criticised Garda record-keeping of reports on child sexual abuse as well as "turf issues" between the force and the HSE.
The inspectorate claimed poor record-keeping had allowed up to 65% of sex crimes against children to go unrecorded in the Garda computer database.
Mr Callinan said he accepted the report’s findings but said there had been different interpretations on how allegations of child abuse were recorded.
He told the PAC 80 gardaí and 20 HSE staff had now received specialised training in investigating cases of child sexual abuse.
Mr Callinan said gardaí had implemented most of the 233 recommendations in all reports from the Garda Inspectorate to date.