Policing

A clear rationale for introducing facial recognition technology (FRT) in policing should be published by the government, an Oireachtas committee has recommended. The joint Oireachtas committee on justice this week published its pre-legislative scrutiny report on the general scheme of the Garda S&iac

Legal and technology experts will give evidence to the Oireachtas justice committee today on plans to legislate for the use of facial recognition technology (FRT) by gardaí. The committee will carry out pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme of the Garda Síochána (Record

Gardaí should continue to prosecute some low-level offences despite the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland (CoFPI) recommending an end to the practice, a government review has concluded. Ministers had previously accepted the recommendation of CoFPI, which said in its 2018 report:

New legislation is to be introduced to permit gardaí to swiftly access criminal evidence in digital form. The Criminal Justice (Protection, Preservation and Access to Data on Information Systems) Bill 2024 will allow law enforcement authorities like An Garda Síochána to request

Criminology lecturer Dr Jonny Byrne has been appointed as Northern Ireland's independent reviewer of justice and security and of national security arrangements. The role of the independent reviewer of justice and security is set out within the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007. The re

Landmark legislation reforming the governance and oversight of An Garda Síochána has completed its final stage in the Dáil. The Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023 implements a number of key recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland (Co

A homeless man who was arrested and detained by the Metropolitan Police is to receive compensation and an apology for the "inhumane" actions of the force.

An Garda Síochána and the Policing Authority have announced funding for a research project focused on the wellbeing of gardaí. The collaboration between the Policing Authority and An Garda Síochána in designing, awarding, and managing the research project is the fi

The Supreme Court has referred two questions about the interaction of Latvian law with Ireland's European Arrest Warrant legislation to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The questions concern whether the discretionary conversion of a supervisory sentence to a custodial sentence

Controversial plans to let gardaí use facial recognition technology (FRT) will be expanded to help assist in the identification of rioters, the government has announced.

In the wake of the Dublin riots, it has been interesting to observe the political responses to the scenes of violence and disorder which befell our nation’s capital. The government has been in damage control while the opposition have been circling like sharks. Everyone knows that the riots ha

Legislation paving the way for An Garda Síochána to begin rolling out bodycams on frontline gardaí next year has been passed by the Oireachtas. The Garda Síochána (Recording Devices) Bill 2022 establishes a statutory framework for the use of recording devices to su

The High Court has confirmed that no power to detain a driver pending the result of a roadside saliva drug test can be implied into the Road Traffic Act 2010. Delivering judgment for the High Court, Mr Justice Garrett Simons found that “the fact that, within the very same Act, the Oireachtas h

The UK Supreme Court this month rejected an appeal challenging a decision which found that police officers and staff in the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) were historically underpaid holiday pay since 1998, up to a total value of £30 million. Delivering the judgment, Lord Kitchin an

Jon Boutcher, the former Bedfordshire Police chief constable leading Operation Kenova, has been confirmed as interim chief constable of the PSNI. The Northern Ireland Policing Board confirmed the appointment yesterday after it was approved by Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris.