Public order fines - Upholding civil liberties is essential

AS the Government prepares to introduce a controversial new system that would enable gardaí to impose on-the-spot fines for alleged public order offences, the vexed question of civil liberties assumes ever-increasing significance.

That Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy favours the concept was clear when he addressed a meeting yesterday sponsored by the Irish Examiner and Waterford Chamber of Commerce.

Intriguingly, the commissioner also revealed that a working group is examining a proposal to make retailers and nightclub owners pay for extra deployment of gardaí to maintain public order late at night.