KOD Lyons hosts successful seminar on future of policing

Speaking to Irish Legal News, Gareth Noble, partner at KOD Lyons, said: “We are really delighted at the quality of the engagement between legal practitioners and the Commission on the Future of Policing.

“We had a really diverse audience and the event was superbly chaired by Dr Geoffrey Shannon who shared his observations on the audit of the exercise he conducted on use of Garda powers under the Childcare Act, which was published in May 2017.

“Topics discussed included the visibility of gardaí in the community, Garda management issues, recruitment and retirement policies, management and leadership in policing and multi disciplinary approaches to policing, Garda mentoring, resourcing Gsoc and ongoing whistleblower issues. The particular needs of children, victims and vulnerable adults with mental health and capacity issues were addressed in depth.”

KOD Lyons’ Colleen Gildernew opened the seminar, voicing hope that practitioners’ insights could assist the Commission’s work.

Kathleen O’Toole, chair of the Commission, thanked KOD Lyons for hosting and organising the event, describing the work ahead as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.

She advised that she “wouldn’t be standing here” unless she believed the work of the Commission could deliver a new beginning for policing. She told the audience: “We have no agenda but to get this right.”

Commissioner O’Toole was joined on the panel by five of her colleagues, Dr Vicky Conway; Professor Donncha O’Connell; Dr Johnny Connell; Noeline Blackwell; and Dr Eddie Molloy.

Audience members included members of the Policing Authority, as well as Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring, chair of the Garda Siochána Ombudsman Commission (Gsoc).

The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland is due to submit its report to Government in September 2018.