Vicky Conway: Right balance must be struck for extended Garda powers

New Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill is an opportunity to ensure gardaí have the powers they need and that everyone in society has access to the necessary protections and safeguards

A balance must be struck, giving the police enough power, but not too much, with effective safeguards for each power.

The powers that the police have in any society are a marker of democracy. Too little power inhibits the investigation of offences and simultaneously, as history has shown, pushes police to use unacceptable policing methods, with the ends used to justify the means.

Too much power discounts civil liberties and human rights, and destroys the relationship between society and the police.