A considerable number of people have complained of "physical ill-treatment" while in Garda custody, a report by the Council of Europe claims.
The report, conducted by the Council's Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), says most of the complaints against gardaí occurred during the time of arrest and involved blows with batons, as well as kicks and punches.
It said some complaints related to ill-treatment in cells or detention areas in Garda stations.
"In certain cases the ill-treatment alleged was said to have been inflicted by officers trying to obtain information or secure a confession from the detained person," it claimed.
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However many of the people interviewed by the CPT's delegation, which visited a number of the State's Garda stations, prisons and psychiatric establishments in 2002, said they had been "correctly treated" by gardaí while in custody.
The report criticises the current accountability mechanisms for gardaí, saying the Garda Complaints Board "enjoys little public confidence and is failing to contribute to the prevention of ill-treatment".
The CPT urged the Government to establish "an inspection and complaints mechanism which is, and is seen to be, independent and impartial".
In a response published with today's report the Government said: "While in no way wishing to detract from the serious issues raised by the CPT delegation, the Government is encouraged by the experience of the delegation in that many persons with whom they spoke indicated that they had been correctly treated while in Garda custody."
It also said it will very shortly publish legislative proposals for an independent Garda Inspectorate.
The report was highly critical of the use of padded cells in Irish prisons for inmates in need of psychiatric care. It described the practice as "inhuman and degrading".
After visiting Cork and Mountjoy Prisons and Cloverhill, it said the "material conditions in these cells, including sanitary arrangements, were very poor".
The CPT welcomed recent steps taken by the Government to discontinue the use of such cells.
The report said: "Many of the inmates interviewed by the delegation indicated that they had reasonably good and constructive relations with most of the prison staff.
"However, in all three prisons visited, the delegation heard complaints of ill-treatment of prisoners, mostly verbal abuse; in Dublin, the delegation also received some allegations of kicks, slaps and rough treatment," it said.
The CPT said it had received no complaints of ill-treatment from patients at the Central Mental Hospital.
It did say however, that it had been informed of ongoing investigations into allegations of sexual abuse of female patients by certain staff members, and into the death of a patient while being restrained.
