The ICCL campaign for Garda Reform
ICCL is campaigning for human-rights based reform of policing. An Garda Síochána is a key agency for the protection of rights in Ireland and ICCL has been at the centre of police reform initiatives for over forty years. We are at a critical period for reform of policing in Ireland. The Commission on the Future of Policing has reported to government and the government developed a plan for its implementation. ICCL is playing a leading role in ensuring that the outcome of this reform process will secure a human rights compliant police service and the maximum effectiveness of police oversight bodies.
The Kilpatrick report: a blueprint for rights-based reform of An Garda Síochána
In 2018, ICCL commissioned Alyson Kilpatrick, former human rights advisor to the Northern Ireland Policing Board, to produce a report detailing how An Garda Síochána might undertake a root-and-branch reform, similar to that undertaken in Northern Ireland with the establishment of the PSNI, where human rights would become the guiding principle behind all of the force’s work.
Here is the full text of Alyson Kilpatrick’s ground-breaking report: A Human Rights Based Approach to Policing in Ireland.
Briefing for press and policy makers.
ICCL submission to the Commission on the Future of Policing
Also in 2018, we made a submission to the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland, making four key groups of recommendations:
- The creation of a comprehensive framework for embedding human rights in all aspects of policing.
- An overhaul of the systems of State security and surveillance.
- Strengthening of accountability to the public through greater transparency, legal accountability, and independent oversight.
- Fostering a culture of respect for human rights and equality.
Read our full submission to the Commission on the Future of Policing here.
Modernisation of An Garda Síochána?
In April 2019, the Policing Authority published its final report into the modernisation of An Garda Síochána. Read Liam Herrick’s expert opinion piece here
ICCL events on Rights-Based Policing
ICCL has held a number of events, bringing together those who are affected most by policing, including Travellers, working class children and teenagers, with those who are charged with effecting change. That includes representatives of the Commission on the Future of Policing, the Policing Authority, GSOC and the Garda Inspectorate. ICCL believes that the dialogues created in spaces such as these are crucial for understanding why things need to change within An Garda Síochána, what direction we need to go in to radically reform the force, and what steps need to be taken to enact this change
Liam Herrick opinion piece on the future of policing
Read Liam Herrick’s 2017 opinion piece on the future of policing here:
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