Garda crisis in the area of human rights

THE Garda Síochána is in a crisis in terms of its human rights record and will need to be “purged” by the Garda Ombudsman, the head of the State’s human rights watchdog said yesterday.

Dr Maurice Manning, president of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) said there needed to be a “full realisation” within the force just how much damage had been done to its reputation. “There is a crisis, the extent of it shouldn’t be minimised and a revolution of human rights would be one essential step.”

Speaking at a conference, Policing in a Multi-Ethnic Society, Dr Manning warned there would be opposition within the force to change. “There will be resistance and it will come in many shapes, some subtle, a lot less so. That’s the experience of every police force.”