'Deep lack of trust' in gardaí from 'discriminatory' policing of African and Brazilian groups, report finds
The report highlights multiple instances where victims were allegedly mistreated at garda stations, allegedly denied information, or felt they were 'retraumatised' during police interactions.
People of African descent and Brazilians experience widespread “discriminatory” policing and racial profiling, a study by the Irish Network Against Racism (INAR) has found.
Commissioned by the Policing Authority, it also says there is a “deep lack of trust” in gardaí among these communities as a result.
Negative experiences of policing among these communities include allegations of traumatic stop-and-search incidents — including strip searches — wrongful arrests, and property damage, with long-lasting psychological effects and ongoing impacts on employment, study, and family life.
The findings also note the prevalence of alleged “vexatious charges” brought after traffic stops — particularly against black drivers.
The report highlights multiple instances where victims were allegedly mistreated at garda stations, allegedly denied information, or felt they were “retraumatised” during police interactions.
Migrants expressed concern about potential immigration consequences, and some described traumatic outcomes when they did seek help. Even community workers with long-standing garda relationships expressed a loss of faith in the system, describing a growing sense of hopelessness about accountability.
While some victims noted improvements in garda responses to domestic violence, these were “highly inconsistent”.
Others reported distressing experiences, including gardaí arriving at scenes and allegedly treating victims with suspicion or hostility based on their ethnicity.
The report noted: “An Garda Síochána are viewed, overall, as providing a diminished service to minority ethnic communities and actively harming them through discriminatory policing.
“Positive personal interactions with individual gardaí through community policing has only partly led to increased confidence among African and Brazilian groups."
“Both groups expressed concern too about the effectiveness of Garda Síochána Ombudsman’s Commission (Gsoc)."
The survey results showed 66% say gardaí do not treat everyone fairly, and only 19% believed they would be treated fairly if they made a complaint against gardaí.
A garda spokesperson said: "The allegation of racial profiling by members of An Garda Síochána is a very serious one, and An Garda Síochána would ask any representative group claiming such or the individuals themselves to bring any allegations about this to either our attention or the attention of Gsoc so they can be examined.
"An Garda Síochána polices in the interests of all people and all communities."
They added: "As there is no legal basis for the collection of ethnic identifiers during garda operations, [and] there is no concrete data available to support the contention that there is ethnic profiling by An Garda Síochána."
