New report highlights gaps in implementation of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland
16 May 2024
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) has today published a new report analysing the implementation of the five-year-old recommendations of the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland (CoFPI).
The report finds that while some progress has been made on the Commission’s overall recommendation to introduce a human-rights based approach to policing in Ireland, significant gaps remain, particularly in the areas of accountability and transparency.
CoFPI was established by the government in May 2017 to provide recommendations for full root and branch reform of Irish policing following successive scandals and crises in An Garda Síochána. Its final report was published in September 2018 and its implementation has been a matter of government policy since then.
The new research, titled ‘Human Rights in Irish Policing’, finds that while the establishment of a Human Rights Strategy and Human Rights Unit within An Garda Síochána has led to an increase in human rights training for Gardaí, concerns about the institutional independence and scope of powers of restructured police oversight bodies remain.
In particular, limited eligibility criteria for oversight roles such as the Independent Examiner for Security Legislation, and restrictions on access to and transparency of information have led to concerns that An Garda Síochána and other information holders will be able to withhold information from oversight bodies on vague “national security” grounds.
Stakeholders interviewed for the report also highlighted the need for investment in financial and human resources to ensure the implementation of CoFPI’s recommendations in internal policing policy, operations and resource allocation.
Speaking today as the report was launched at an ICCL conference in Maynooth University, Emily Williams, Policing and Justice Policy Officer, ICCL, said:
“More than five years ago the government was given recommendations on how to reform An Garda Síochána to ensure that it is human rights based and truly serves the Irish public. Unfortunately, our research finds that those recommendations which directly relate to the accountability and transparency of An Garda Síochána have yet to be fully implemented. This is particularly concerning given the crisis of standards and governance within An Garda Síochána which led to these recommendations in the first place.
“We can’t afford to ignore the recommendations CoFPI made. Many improvements still need to be made, including increasing the diversity of An Garda Síochána, advancing culture change within the Gardaí, and ensuring oversight bodies are equipped to do their jobs.”
The report was launched at a conference organised jointly by ICCL and Northern Ireland’s Committee for the Administration of Justice and supported by Maynooth University.
Copies of reports arising from previous ICCL-CAJ ‘Policing for Peace’ seminars held in Derry and Dublin were also launched at the event.