A new book on the legal and constitutional basis for the Garda Siochana is critical of police accountability. The Irish Police, by Prof Dermot Walsh, head of the Centre for Criminal Justice at Limerick University, was introduced last night at a reception in Dublin attended by the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue.
Prof Walsh criticises police accountability through the Garda Complaints Board and suggests that it could be replaced by a single individual, backed by staff, to investigate complaints. In its current make-up, the nine-person board is "less likely to enjoy the confidence of those sections of the community who are most likely to feel the need to lodge complaints against the Garda", the book says.
The board's anonymity is damaging to public confidence in the system, the book says. "If they can put a name and a face on whomever they are relying on to see that a complaint is investigated thoroughly and impartially, it will do much to encourage their acceptance of the outcome."
The book, which began as a doctoral thesis on police accountability in Ireland 18 years ago, details in 13 chapters the history of the force and its legal and constitutional framework. It looks at internal management structures, the relationship between the force and government, accountability to the public and the law, and the increasing emphasis on international co-operation with other police forces.
The Irish Police, by Prof Dermot Walsh, is published by Round Hall Sweet and Maxwell.