ALMOST 40 per cent of Garda summons issued through the courts over the last four years have not been served.
The data was passed on to The Irish Post by Garda whistle-blower John Wilson who submitted a freedom of information (FOI) to the Courts Service of Ireland.
Mr Wilson had requested the number of summons that were issued for the five years 2008-2012 inclusive and the number that were not served.
The request revealed that from a total of 1,688,349 Garda summons issued, 646,509 were not served which totals 38 per cent.
It was confirmed to The Irish Post that the figures were accurate and "compiled through the Criminal Case Tracking System".
Responding to the figures, the Garda Press Office said:
"Criminal prosecutions brought by way of summons relate to the administration of justice and is a matter for Court Services.
"An Garda Siochana is cognisant of its duties in relation to the service of summonses. While every effort is made by An Garda Siochana to effect service of summons there are a multiplicity of reasons for non-service including: change of address, incorrect name recorded, incorrect details recorded, summons issued and alternative charges preferred, deceased persons, where persons cannot be located, persons residing outside the jurisdiction, re-issue of summons, summonses served by post returned un-served etc."
Data provided by The Courts Service of Ireland:
[table]YEAR,No. of Garda Summons issued,No. of Summons not served
Jan–Dec 2009,"493,635","205,088"
Jan–Dec 2010,"472,932","183,357"
Jan–Dec 2011,"360,462","134,477"
Jan–Dec 2012,"341,320","123,587"
[/table]
See More: Garda
