Policing

An explicit ban on the use of scramblers in public places is to take effect from tomorrow. The Road Traffic (Control of Certain Vehicles) Regulations 2026 are intended to strengthen existing provisions and powers of enforcement by An Garda Síochána.

Gardaí are set to deliver classroom lessons in Irish secondary schools on the law around online harassment and intimate image abuse. The new Garda schools programme lesson on the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 – also known as 'Coco's law' – w

Legal observers have identified "emerging issues" in the policing of protest in Ireland in a first-of-its kind report. The Irish Network of Legal Observers (INLO), co-convened by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) and the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the University of Galway, today pub

A large-scale investigation is taking place into a former PSNI officer suspected of committing rape and other sexual offences over the course of a decade. The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has said it is "allocating all available resources" to the investigation and has warned that this may i

The High Court has disallowed the DPP’s appeal against the acquittal of a man found in possession of cocaine pursuant to an illegal search. Delivering judgment for the High Court, Mr Justice Micheál P. O’Higgins highlighted that the issue of statutory interpretation arising in the

The High Court has determined that the trial of a Garda for road traffic offences should not be remitted back to the District Court for re-hearing where the trial had not been conducted in due course of law. Delivering judgment for the High Court in December, Ms Justice Denise Brett found that the a

Gardaí have reported significant reductions in reports of most major crimes in 2025. An Garda Síochána this week published its provisional crime statistics for 2025.

UN human rights experts have expressed concern over An Garda Síochána's acquisition and use of less lethal weapons for crowd control and protest management. Gina Romero, the special rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, and Alice Jill Edwards, the

A total of 19,673 vehicles were seized by An Garda Síochána for driving without insurance in 2025, according to a new report. The Motor Insurers' Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) today published the 2025 annual report of the Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID), which gardaí can use to

Local community safety partnerships are now up and running in most local authority areas in a milestone for the government's new approach to community safety. Members have now been appointed to 34 safety partnerships and 31 have held their inaugural meetings at which they elected their chair and vic

A total ban on the use of scramblers in public places is to be introduced in response to the death of 16-year-old Grace Lynch. New regulations will close any gaps where scrambler use may previously have been legal outside of appropriate off-road settings, and enhance Garda powers of seizure to reduc

Aonghus Kelly has been appointed as human rights advisor to the Northern Ireland Policing Board. Mr Kelly is a distinguished human rights lawyer who has recently played a high-profile role supporting the investigation and prosecution of Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

The High Court has quashed an appeal concerning the revocation of an aircraft mechanic’s security clearance at Dublin Airport. Delivering judgment for the High Court, Mr Justice Michael Twomey opined: “It seems to this court that the failure to provide Mr Doyle with the reason for the de

A training programme for Fiosrú staff has welcomed its second cohort of students at the University of Limerick. The two-year postgraduate programme has been developed by UL School of Law in conjunction with Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, to support its staff learning and d

An Garda Síochána has formally established a new unit which will act as a single point of contact for co-operation with UK authorities on Troubles-related legacy cases. The establishment of the Garda Troubles Legacy Liaison Unit fulfils a commitment in the joint framework agreed by the