Policing

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

A criminal defence lawyer has acted remotely for a client in a police interview in a Northern Ireland first. A digital mechanism was put in place after Ciarán Kerr-Johnston, solicitor at Belfast-based Brentnall Legal Ltd, issued pre-action proceedings against the PSNI on behalf of a client wh

New Garda powers to enforce lockdown restrictions should not be used as the consent-based approach "has been for the most part successful", civil liberties experts have said. Health Minister Simon Harris yesterday signed regulations giving gardaí powers to enforce restrictions on movement dur

The PSNI needs to carry out a "full audit" of its historical records to establish what material it may hold in relation to Troubles-related cases, a watchdog has said. The chief inspector of criminal justice in Northern Ireland, Jacqui Durkin, has called on the PSNI and the Office of the Police Ombu

Gardaí recorded sharp increases in fraud, gun and drug offences in 2019, according to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). The number of fraud, deception and related offences recorded by gardaí rose to 7,944 in 2019, an increase of 26.2 per cent on the previous

Six people have been appointed to the Northern Ireland Policing Board with effect from April. The new independent members are Michael Atkinson, Dr Janet Gray, Edgar Jardine, Carmel McKinney, Frank McManus and Deirdre Toner.

The UK is to withdraw from the European arrest warrant scheme. In a document detailing Britain's approach to negotiations with the EU, the UK government said: “The agreement should instead provide for fast-track extradition arrangements, based on the EU’s surrender agreement with Norway

A man who was repeatedly stopped and searched under the Justice and Security (NI) Act 2007 has been granted a declaration that the PSNI, in failing to record the basis for searches carried out in 2013, acted in breach of the man’s right to respect for private and family life under Article 8 EC