Policing

Volunteer police officers in England and Wales will be armed with Tasers under controversial UK government plans. In a speech to the Police Federation annual conference, home secretary Priti Patel said special constables would be authorised to carry the electric stun guns in response to calls from p

The High Court has determined that a garda inspector was entitled to have his promotion backdated after it was delayed due to a false complaint by a member of the public. The investigation of the complaint delayed the promotion by seven months, during which time the garda did not receive the higher

The Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of a journalist who had his mobile phone seized by gardaí with a view to obtaining information relating to a serious criminal incident. The journalist had refused to give the phone to gardaí on the basis of journalistic privilege. The court deter

The government has been urged to clarify whether proposed legislation on digital recording by gardaí explicitly covers facial recognition and other emerging technologies. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission said the human rights and equality implications of these technologies need

An unprecedented international effort to disrupt the finances of the Kinahan crime gang has been launched by Irish, UK and US law enforcement agencies. The US government has announced the designation of what it calls the Kinahan organised crime group (KOCG) as a "significant transnational criminal o

The High Court has ruled that the Commissioner for An Garda Síochána acted unlawfully when he decided to dismiss a member after a statutory Appeal Board had determined that dismissal was disproportionate. The Commissioner sought to dismiss the member for discreditable conduct arising f

An Garda Síochána should take action to better safeguard the right of people in custody to consult a solicitor in private, the Garda Inspectorate has said. A new report published today sets out a number of recommendations following a comprehensive examination of the standard of treatme

Stop and search powers are being disproportionately used in Northern Ireland against people from ethnic minority communities and on children, new figures reveal. A total of 25,503 people were stopped and searched by PSNI officers in 2021, according to the latest statistics, with just six per cent of

Drew Harris will remain in post as Garda Commissioner until June 2025, the government has announced. Mr Harris was appointed to the top role in An Garda Síochána for a five-year term beginning in September 2018, following a long career in the PSNI.

Dr Vicky Conway calls on the government to take urgent action to secure the rights of criminal suspects. The shocking treatment of Joanne Hayes and her family by gardaí was back in the spotlight this week, with allegations of garda brutality, forced confession and fabricated statements laid b

The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has identified "collusive behaviours" in the RUC's handling of a number of paramilitary attacks by the UDA/UFF between 1989 and 1993. The attacks included 19 murders and multiple attempted murders, including the murder of Sinn Féin councillor Eddie Fu

The Policing Authority has published its review of 2021 which provides an overview of the breadth and depth of the work it has undertaken this year. The review highlights key areas of focus for the Authority’s oversight, as well as providing data relating to senior Garda appointments, public c

Proposals for reforms to Northern Ireland's policing oversight and accountability structures have gone out to consultation. The consultation document sets out recommendations arising from the justice minister's "stocktake" of policing oversight and accountability, as well as recommendations made by

Judge Rory MacCabe has been nominated by ministers for appointment as the next chairperson of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC). Currently a Circuit Court judge, he will also be elevated to the High Court "in light of the significance of the role", justice minister Helen M

Gardaí are influencing the selection of criminal defence solicitors for detainees in the absence of a consistent and transparent process, new research suggests. A new paper by legal academics Professor Yvonne Daly and Dr Vicky Conway, published in the Journal of Law and Society, explores the