Garda inspectorate ‘must be independent’

THE planned garda inspectorate must be independent, impartial, and have strong investigative powers if it is to work properly, the North’s police ombudsman will argue at a major conference today.

Nuala O’Loan, one of the speakers at the Irish Council for Civil Liberties-organised conference, is expected to speak about how the body she heads has changed policing in the North and the benefits of having it in place.

The three founding principles of the North’s ombudsman are independence, impartiality and investigation, she will tell delegates at the Dublin seminar.