Policing

A new Garda unit dedicated to investigating insurance fraud will be established next month, according to reports. The new Insurance Fraud Coordination Office (IFCO) will be launched in mid-September and put under the control of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB), the Irish Independent

A new pilot programme will see the PSNI share information with schools where there have been instances of domestic abuse involving a child. Under the pilot, officers will be allowed to pass on relevant information to the school the child attends so that the right support can be put in place.

Specialist staff shortages are having a "significant impact" on An Garda Síochána's ability to respond effectively to economic crime, corruption and cyber crime, a report has warned. The Policing Authority's first Assessment of Policing Performance in 2021 welcomes progress in implemen

Dr Cian Ó Concubhair explores whether proposed new legislation contains adequate safeguards for journalists and publishers. Earlier this month, the Minister for Justice put the Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill 2021 before the Oireachtas.

People who have submitted complaints to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) have been invited to share their experience for the first time in a study ahead of the watchdog's restructuring. Dr Vicky Conway, one of Ireland's leading researchers on policing, has invited people

A consultation is seeking views on whether the maximum penalty for injuring service animals on active duty in Northern Ireland should be increased for the second time in five years. Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Edwin Poots yesterday launched a consultation on proposals to prot

The Policing Authority scrutinised An Garda Síochána last year on enforcement of Covid-19 restrictions, diversity, sexual crime and domestic violence, the vulnerability of children and anti-corruption. The watchdog today published its annual report for 2020, a year which it admits was

The inquiry into undercover policing operations in England and Wales has referred the first suspected miscarriages of justice identified through its investigations to a dedicated panel set up by the Home Office. The case, involving 12 individuals, relates to an incident on 12 May 1972 when political

Police powers of search, arrest and detention will be placed on a "clear and transparent" statutory basis through new legislation announced today. Justice Minister Heather Humphreys has published the general scheme of the Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill, which will implement one of the ke

Thousands of 999 calls about domestic violence were ignored by gardaí between 2019 and 2020, an ongoing internal investigation has found. Concerns have been raised by domestic abuse charities about the scale of the issue, which first came to light in late 2020.

An internal review by the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) has concluded it was right not to charge politicians who attended the controversial funeral of republican Bobby Storey. The PPS initiated a review process after receiving three formal requests to re-examine decisions taken in relation to a g

The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has launched an investigation into an allegation of race discrimination in the police handling of a Black Lives Matter protest in Derry last summer. A member of the public who took part in the protest on Saturday 6 June 2020 has alleged inconsistencies in th

Prosecutors were right not to charge politicians who attended the controversial funeral of republican Bobby Storey because there was no realistic prospect of them being convicted, a report has found. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) said the P

The RUC failed to effectively investigate the killings of four people by police officers at the start of the Troubles in 1969, the Police Ombudsman has found. In a 128-page report published today, Marie Anderson said there were significant operational and investigative failures by the RUC in relatio

The draft heads of legislation providing a legal basis for the deployment and use of body-worn cameras by An Garda Síochána have been published following government approval.