New figures show 14 allegations of sexual offences by gardai were made last year

Provisional figures obtained by Newstalk show the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) received 1,826 complaints in 2022.

That is down 17 per cent from 2021 when there were just under 3,000 allegations made to the Garda watchdog body last year.

One-third of them were in Dublin, with 266 in Cork and 119 in Mayo.

However, the vast majority of complaints were not upheld with only 12 breaches of discipline identified so far.

Damien McCarthy of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) said the “figures speak for themselves”

"It goes to show that the constant narrative that has been portrayed in the media over the last number of months and years, in relation to corruption and wrong-doing in the Garda Síochána, simply is not true.

"I think if you look at the GSOC figures - the amount of complaints that are going into GSOC - the vast, vast majority of those complaints are not being upheld.”

Of all the allegations nationally, 33 were about theft and fraud and 15 related to discrimination.