Policing

Lawyers, policing experts and community representatives will reflect on the policing of COVID-19 in Ireland in an online webinar tomorrow afternoon. The free event, moderated by Dr Vicky Conway, associate professor at DCU School of Law, will consider the "exceptional positives being achieved" by An

A proposed re-branding of the PSNI will not go forward for consultation in its current form following a sharp backlash from unionists. The force recently released images of proposed new branding featuring the crest alongside the words "Police Service NI".

A criminal defence lawyer who criticised safety measures at a specialist COVID-19 custody suite established by the PSNI in Belfast has bought his own personal protective equipment (PPE). Joe Rice, senior partner at John J. Rice & Co Solicitors, told the Belfast Telegraph that his firm has bought

Police powers used to fine hundreds of people at Black Lives Matter protests in Northern Ireland over the weekend came into force just hours before the protests began, it has emerged. Amnesty International and the Belfast-based Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) have voiced concerns ov

The US city of Minneapolis is moving towards the abolition of its police department following weeks of protest sparked by the killing of George Floyd by one of its officers. Nine members of Minneapolis City Council have pledged to dismantle Minneapolis Police Department and introduce a new community

Gardaí have launched an investigation into whether a Black Lives Matter protest attended by thousands of people in Dublin broke public health restrictions introduced to tackle COVID-19. Under section 5 of the Health Act 1947 (Section 31A -Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) Regulations 2020, i

New Garda positions will be created in the US and Colombia to help tackle organised crime and terrorism, Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan has announced. Mr Flanagan said the Garda Liaison Officer Network would be expanded with new positions in Washington D.C. and Bogota following a request from Gar

Gardaí should lose the power to arrest people for failing to comply with public health guidelines in less than two weeks, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has said. The rights group has called for the policing powers introduced under the Health Act 1947 (Section 31a – Tempor

A criminal defence lawyer has sharply criticised safety measures at a specialist COVID-19 custody suite established by the PSNI in Belfast. The new "interview room with a perspex screen" at the Musgrave police station "is inadequate at best, and downright dangerous at worst", solicitor Joe Rice

Criminal defence solicitors have been invited to complete a survey on their experiences in Garda stations during the COVID-19 crisis. The online survey has been created by Shalom Binchy & Co. Solicitors to inform an evidence-based submission to the Law Society of Ireland and An Garda Síoc

Justice ministers north and south of the border have spoken via teleconference to discuss the close co-operation between An Garda Síochána and the PSNI during the coronavirus pandemic. Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan and Justice Minister Naomi Long took part in the call yesterday eve

The number of complaints made to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) fell by nine per cent last year following the introduction of the new local intervention process. The watchdog received 1,756 complaints in 2019 in relation to 2,885 allegations of wrongdoing, according to

The PSNI's budget has fallen by more than £200 million in real terms over the past decade, according to a new report. Publishing his findings, Northern Ireland's Comptroller and Auditor General, Kieran Donnelly, said the PSNI had focused on "short-term cost reductions" which means the force "h

New Garda powers under the emergency coronavirus law have been used 34 times since coming into effect earlier this month. Delivering an update on the use of the powers yesterday, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said the "vast majority" of people are complying with public health guidelines.

Proposals to use video "live link" technology for a range of custody functions, including police interviews and the extension of detention by both police and the courts, have gone out to consultation. The Department of Justice is seeking the views of key stakeholders and other interested parties reg