The discovery of 39 bodies in a refrigerated lorry trailer in Grays has been described as a “very dark” day for the town.

Shots were fired at a flat in Derry in what has been termed a “reckless attack”.

The head of the Garda Inspectorate said people in communities will be the “ultimate winners” from the new Garda policing revamp with more gardaí in communities, quicker response times, and better investigations of crime.

The gardaí announced restructuring plans today which detail improvements to its structures, processes, services and governance.

Police in Belfast were forced to abandon a bid to dismantle a bonfire planned in the city last night following a stand off with republican youths.

Concern has been voiced about the appearance of threatening graffiti at a republican bonfire site in north Belfast.

Garda bosses say up to 90% of recommendations to improve public order policing will be implemented by the end of the year, with the rest following early in 2020.

Latest: No distress signal was sent from the aircraft which crashed in Co Kildare yesterday evening.

The snake, named Sammi by rescuers, is described as “hanging in there” but it is still very uncertain as to whether she will pull through.

The ISPCA has been forced to set up temporary dog kennels at its Co Cork equine centre due to an increase in dog cruelty cases and a crackdown on rogue puppy farmers.

The ISPCA handled a record 17,338 calls about animal cruelty last year with its staff carrying out 3,494 inspections and taking 1,102 animals into care.

The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) has warned that the organisation needs more funding to cope with the increase in animal cruelty cases reported last year.

Disputes between the HSE and Hiqa over whether two care homes met acceptable standards contributed to the health watchdog’s €128,024 bill for legal proceedings in 2017.

The head of the Garda Inspectorate has said it needs to have the power to conduct unannounced spot checks on Garda stations and “not to have to make an appointment to visit”.

Police are working to establish who was behind a series of anti-Islamic leaflets posted through letterboxes in parts of Belfast.

The Minister for Education Richard Bruton confirmed this morning on Today with Sean O'Rourke that he has written to the NCCA to initiate a review of sex education curriculum and how it is delivered in schools.

More than one in three parents do not know what their children are learning in sex education classes, they have told school inspectors.

The Garda Inspectorate has said it expects gardaí to have sexual and domestic violence units in all 28 divisions by the end of the year — despite warnings from the Commissioner that their plan to establish just four this year, on top of the existing four, was in jeopardy.

Gardaí are examining 105 child abuse cases the Garda Inspectorate has raised concerns about to ensure they have been investigated properly.

There are “unacceptable delays” in the examination of digital devices in child abuse investigations, despite calls for an “urgent review” of the area more than three years ago, according to the Garda Inspectorate.

Police have launched an investigation after a private image of a female officer was shared online.

Two UK police officers have been sacked after accidentally leaving a message on a mother's voicemail saying they hoped her vulnerable child would "get raped".

The ISPCA is appealing for homes for 28 Jack Russell Terrier dogs and puppies.

A pilot has died after a light aircraft crashed into the runway at a north Wales airport and burst into flames, police said.

The PSNI plans to adopt an awareness campaign created by a Dublin community project to highlight the linkages between recreational drug use and the power of gangs.

The PSNI plans to adopt an awareness campaign created by a Dublin community project to highlight the linkages between recreational drug use and the power of gangs.

A man was bundled into the boot of a car during an incident in Coleraine on Sunday night, the PSNI said.

A lorry driver facing 20 charges over a motorway horror crash in England that left eight people dead has appeared in court.

Three minibus passengers, including a five-year-old girl, are fighting for their lives after a motorway crash which killed eight people.

Latest: Six men and two women were killed when their minibus and two lorries crashed on a motorway, leaving three other passengers fighting for their lives.

A report has criticised the treatment of vulnerable inmates at Maghaberry Prison in Co Antrim.

A suspected dissident republican pipe bomb landed in the bed of a Co Tyrone pensioner, police in the North said.

A "committed" terrorist who infiltrated the British military has been jailed for 18 years for supplying bombs to dissident Irish republicans.

A car was set alight during a sectarian hate crime in Co Antrim, police said.

Update 3.15pm: A second teenage boy is in custody after two males on a moped carried out five acid attacks across London in less than 90 minutes.

A man has been arrested after a major police operation following the evacuation of a supermarket.

A number of HSE-operated centres for people with disabilities have been criticised by health watchdog, HIQA. It has also raised concerns about regulatory non-compliance in facilities in the north west.

The aunt of a two-year-old girl screamed "The dog's got the baby!" after her niece was savaged by the animal as she played in her garden in England.

A two-year-old girl has been seriously injured after being attacked by dogs in the garden of a house in Liverpool.

A surfer who survived more than 30 hours stranded at sea on his board has hailed his rescuers as heroes.

A surfer who survived more than 30 hours stranded in the Irish Sea on his board has been described as "extremely lucky".

A surfer who had been missing since Sunday has been traced safe and well.

A vagrant is facing life behind bars in the UK for snatching a woman under a motorway bridge, then killing her during a violent sex attack.

The rector who baptised the youngest child of Ruth and Kevin Burke, killed in a helicopter crash while en route to Ireland this week, has said the community in England where they lived is “in disarray”.