ICCL backs giving GSoc power to search stations

The Garda logo on a lamp at the entrance to Garda Headquarters in the Phoenix Park, Dublin.File Picture: PA

Controversial Government plans to grant the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission power to search a Garda station without a court warrant have been backed by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.

The ICCL is also calling for stronger inspection powers to be given to a sister oversight body — the new Policing and Community Safety Authority (PCSA) — to enable it to carry out “unannounced visits” of garda stations, unconnected to any planned inspection.