Organised crime - McDowell’s reform plan is impulsive

Proposed reforms to deal with the growth of organised crime could amount to a fundamental change in our whole system of justice, but the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice Michael McDowell insists that his proposals are not impulsive.

As Attorney General and Minister for Justice, he has had 10 years to think about such changes.

The proposals would include up to seven days detention, which already exists under 1996 drug trafficking legislation. There is also a suggestion that the mere objection by a senior garda should be sufficient to prevent the granting of bail.

The most fundamental reform suggested would be the abolition of the right to silence. This would amount to a drastic change in our whole system of justice, which is designed to protect the innocent.

Unfortunately, however, abuses have been allowed to develop, whereby the right of silence is actually protecting the guilty and hampering law enforcement in some instances.

Such fundamental change needs to be carefully considered and the heated run up to a general election is hardly the proper time for such consideration. If the proposals are not impulsive, why were they not introduced long ago?