There was no evidence of racial profiling found in an audit of more than 5,400 cases of children removed from parents or guardians by gardaí.
The audit, carried out by Prof Geoffrey Shannon, the Government special rapporteur on child protection, found there were strong factual grounds for the removal of children in the cases examined.
The finding was qualified, however, because not all cases entered on the An Garda Síochána Pulse records system included details of ethno-cultural backgrounds.
The audit also found Nigerian children – including Irish children born of Nigerian parents – and Romanian children, were over-represented among those removed from their families.
In 2014, 4.4 per cent of children removed from their parents, by gardaí using their emergency powers, were Nigerian or Irish born to Nigerian parents. The 2011 census showed 0.385 per cent of the population were Nigerian. Some 1.8 per cent of the children removed were Romanian.
The audit said this may be attributable to different cultural norms with regard to discipline. And, while all cases involving Nigerian or Romanian people appeared justified, there could be a higher level of policing of those communities, though there was no evidence of that.
There was also no evidence of over-zealous use by gardaí of their powers of removal and gardaí made efforts to treat children compassionately and sensitively, the audit said.
‘Distinct hesitancy’
In detailed interviews with 13 gardaí, the audit noted there was “distinct hesitancy or discomfort” among respondents in discussions about their dealing with non-national children.
In what little discussions there were, the language used “lacked sensitivity” and suggested “an absence of critically sophisticated understanding of the complex needs of an increasingly culturally and ethnically diverse population”. One garda made a sweeping and generalised claim that male Nigerian nationals were “aggressive”, the report said.
It said the findings suggested there was “a policy failure on the part of An Garda Síochána management” relating to how to deal with contemporary ethnic and cultural changes in population.
Asked about cultural and diversity training, all but one of the gardaí interviewed said they had not received it or had no memory of it.
