The Policing and Community Safety Authority has published an assessment of the progress made by An Garda Siochána in its implementation of recommendations of the Homicide Review.
The Review was carried out between 2017 and 2019 by a dedicated Homicide Investigation Review Team (HIRT) within An Garda Síochána, at the request of the Policing Authority, following the emergence of issues concerning the classification of sudden deaths and homicides in 2017.
The Review involved independent peer review of 41 cases from the period 2013-2015 and it identified 21 recommendations.
The PCSA assessment published today has found that 15 of the 21 recommendations made by the HIRT Review have been implemented, while six recommendations are not yet implemented fully.
Read the PCSA Assessment Report
The assessment has found clear improvements in relevant policy, training and practice in the investigation and classification of homicides and suspicious deaths by An Garda Síochána.
Data quality is also improved and there are clear means by which each case or investigation is managed and supervised. This is particularly evident in Garda Divisions in which the Investigative Management System (IMS) has been rolled out.
Improvements have been highlighted by key stakeholders both inside and outside of An Garda Síochána, including Coroners, the Office of the State Pathologist and the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The non-implemented recommendations relate to policy on the categories of deaths, how non-crime deaths are to be recorded and governed, arrangements for data exchange with the courts system, and the recording and storage of evidence in Garda Divisions.
The outstanding recommendations relate to the sharing of information with the courts system and Property Exhibit Management System (PEMS) facilities. Progress in these areas is important, but contingent on the work of bodies and agencies external to An Garda Síochána.
Commenting on the publication of the assessment, PCSA Chairperson Elaine Byrne said:
“The investigation of homicides and suspicious deaths is a critical component of An Garda Síochána’s crime investigation function. Robust investigation and governance is key to public confidence in policing and the protection and vindication of human rights.
“Our assessment identifies the significant work undertaken and achieved by An Garda Síochána following the Homicide Review through improvements in data quality, training, and the supervision and governance of investigations.
“This area will remain a focus of our oversight of policing and I believe it is important that the remaining recommendations are implemented as soon as possible.”
The PCSA assessment of the Homicide Review will be among the items on the agenda at a meeting in public between the PCSA and the Garda Commissioner on Thursday 25 June 2026.
The meeting will take place at the Richmond Education and Event Centre in North Brunswick Street in Dublin from 2.30pm to 4.30pm.