Arrest, Detention and Questioning: Law and Practice, by Dr Kevin Sweeney, examines some of the key functions of policing in Ireland in relation to Garda investigations and a person’s rights in custody.

Dr Sweeney told Irish Legal News the book is “a critical examination of the often ambivalent conflict between the right to silence and police interrogation”.

There were just under 80,000 arrests in Ireland in 2017, and nearly 16,000 detentions for the purpose of questioning.

Dr Sweeney served in An Garda Síochána before retiring in 2017, having worked primarily in detective branch including anti-terrorism.

The book, published by Clarus Press, examines the legislation, rules and regulations that protect the rights of a suspect in custody for interrogation. These include the detention provisions themselves, the custody regulations, audio-visual recording and the role of solicitors in the process