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The policing of the Corrib gas protests has been controversial. The Corrib gas project of Royal Dutch Shell, StatoilHydro and Marathon Oil has generated opposition from people who will be directly affected by it in Erris, as well as others from around Ireland and abroad. Complaints have been made about members of the Garda Síochána to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, but none have been upheld. This has resulted in a situation where County Mayo, the region with the lowest crime rate in the Republic of Ireland, has the state's highest rate of complaints against Gardaí.
Bellanaboy
After the Rossport Five were jailed in the summer of 2005 for contempt of court the Shell to Sea (S2S) campaign was formed, blockading the refinery site at Bellanaboy until October 2006, when Gardaí used force to remove protesters from in and around the sites. Previous to this, Gardai hadn't interfered with the blockades. The protests made national TV news in Ireland as protesters were admitted to hospital, and many people accused the Gardaí of using excessive force. Gardaí were said to to have operated a "no arrest" policy (this was based on comments made by Superintendent Joe Gannon in an interview in Garda Review, in which he stated: "There were no arrests. That was part of our strategy; we did not want to facilitate anyone down there with a route to martyrdom.")
Superintendent Gannon was replaced by Superintendent John Gilligan (formerly of Interpol) in June 2007
The Garda operation succeeded in its goal of stopping the blockades from preventing work on the refinery site at Bellanaboy. Work there has continued (with brief pauses occasioned by site occupations and lock-ons) since, and is almost complete. At times, hundreds of Gardaí have been deployed to facilitate the project. In May 2007, the Gardai were thanked by Shell executives at their AGM in The Hague for their assistance.
Glengad
In July 2008, preparatory work for the raw gas pipeline began in Glengad. At a small protest, Naoisin O'Mongain son of Maura Harrington was arrested along with several others, including Willie Corduff. After several hours in Garda custody, O'Mongain was brought to Belmullet hospital.
The Garda Water Unit was brought in to combat the actions of water based Shell to Sea protests , which sought to disrupt the Shell works. All Shell's survey boats in Srahwuddacon Bay in Erris were accompanied at all times by several Gardaí in their own boat, when surveying feasible routes for the gas pipeline (see Shell to Sea). In August and September 2008, members of the unit entered the sea and wrestled with Shell to Sea members who had been carrying out a water based protest near the Shell compound of Glengad beach .
Under Gilligan's superintendency, the no-arrest policy, which had already begun to ease under Gannon, fell further into disuse. Over forty arrests were made in the summer of 2008. The Irish Navy were brought in to provide assistance them against protests on water. Local businessman and fisherman Pat O'Donnell accused the Gardai of selective policing, as they made no answer to his pleas for assistance in defending his private property, crab pots that were in the path of the Solitaire. Gardai arrested O'Donnell and his son twice in 24 hours from the sea on public order charges, but desisted when their solicitor requested they charge his clients or stop arresting them.
Superintendent Gilligan was replaced by Superintendent Mick Larkin in the autumn of 2008 transferring to the Garda Press Office.