There have been 13 incidents or allegations of money going missing from Garda stations in recent years, the Dáil’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has been told.
In a letter to the committee, Garda authorities said one investigation, relating to a sum of €1,100, resulted in criminal proceedings being brought against a garda. It said the individual concerned was “no longer a member of An Garda Síochána”.
The incidents highlighted by Garda authorities relate to the period from 2020 to 2025.
Garda authorities said two incidents/allegations in relation to sums of €595 and €2,000 were the subject of ongoing investigations by Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman.
The letter to the PAC said in another case, involving €350, an investigation by the internal affairs section of An Garda Síochána was continuing.
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“One investigation regarding €350 was conducted by the (former) Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc), which resulted in the Director of Public Prosecutions directing no prosecution. A discipline investigation resulted in advice to the member. The money remains outstanding.”
Garda authorities said another disciplinary investigation conducted by the internal affairs section regarding €3,630 being incorrectly stored “resulted in the member receiving advice”.
“One investigation related to a sum of €400, which was money seized during a domestic incident, and was returned to the owner. The amount was disputed by the owner as to the sum seized. A subsequent disciplinary investigation was conducted, and member found not in breach.”
The letter said one investigation carried out by Gsoc resulted in a garda facing disciplinary proceedings for incorrectly storing €12,800 in cash.
The letter said the money had been stored outside of the Garda property exhibit management system policy, “but retained as a labelled exhibit by the member”.
A total of five investigations resulted in no further action being taken. In two of these incidents, the money concerned was not found to be missing but had not been lodged to the property exhibit management system in compliance with policy.
The letter said one allegation regarding a sum of €5,950 had been disproved by Fiosrú, and withdrawn by the complainant.
Garda authorities said no criminal prosecutions relating to the money, which had been the subject of allegations that it had gone missing, had been negatively affected.
Authorities had previously told the committee that there had been 41 instances or allegations of money held in Garda stations going missing between 2020 and 2025. However, a further comprehensive analysis carried out by the deputy commissioner for policing operations had found that the actual figure was 13, as other cases had, for example, involved cash that had not been held in stations or instances that had been duplicated.
Garda authorities said of the other 28 investigations previously referenced in correspondence to the PAC, there were five investigations being carried out by Fiosrú into allegations of cash or property going missing during searches outside Garda stations.
The letter said 13 incidents related to cash or property that had not been retained as exhibits in Garda stations had been included in the previous report of 41 cases sent to the committee.
“These included incidents of stop and search, searches of properties under warrant, searches of vehicles, and accordingly are not relevant to cash stored in Garda stations. All of these incidents were investigated by Gsoc/Fiosrú, who advised of the outcome of no further action; ie no discipline or criminal proceedings arose.”