Doireann Ansbro is the senior research and policy officer with the Irish Council for Civil Liberties. She studied English and history at Trinity College Dublin and law at Nottingham Law School. She ha
“We all need to continue to follow public health guidance … But the government must encourage compliance by appealing to our sense of the common good not by threatening us with sticks and sanctions.”
Lots of what is promised has been called for by human rights groups for a long time. So will this minister and this government be able to follow through?
Protecting public health in a time of grave risk is a legitimate aim. But there are also legitimate concerns that current measures go beyond what is needed.
Reform of the Garda-oversight bodies is coming – if the election doesn’t derail it, writes a senior research and policy officer with the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.
There needs to be a Victims’ Rights Ombudsman, who can oversee complaints by victims where their rights are not upheld, writes a senior policy officer with ICCL.
Gardaí need to do a better job of taking victims’ reports seriously and gathering data on hate crimes, and they should develop comprehensive rules for responding to such crimes.
Having gardaí film interactions with the public presents a host of potential privacy problems. Studies saying it would improve policing are yet to convince.
In a monthly column, we’ll be tracking what’s happening with policing reform: what’s still being teased out, what’s being rolled out, what’s working, what’s not.
