Tag Archives: An Garda Síochána

This morning.

Via Irish Times:

Facial recognition technology set to be used by An Garda Síochána will be able to identify and track people in real time using CCTV cameras.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee announced last week her department is drawing up legislation to allow gardaí to use the technology to analyse CCTV footage for suspects in serious crimes or missing people….

…However, sources confirmed there will be provision for gardaí to use the technology in conjunction with live camera footage rather than just retrospectively.

This would allow the force to track people in real time as they move about in public.

Gardaí will be able to use real-time facial recognition under planned legislation (Irish Times)

Meanwhile….

Garda use of facial recognition technologies unnecessary and disproportionate (Irish Times Letters)

Previously: Nothing To See Here

Yesterday.

A former senior garda officer was jailed for four years for sexual assaults on his younger sister in the 1970s.

Via Anon:

An ex-detective Inspector who was attached to a station in south Dublin who pleaded guilty to years of sexual abuse and incest of his sister, was sentenced yesterday

He has put his sister through hell dragging this case out for years.

He was in charge of all sexual abuse cases in the Dublin Southside; he would have written and recommended prosecution or no prosecution on sexual abuses cases in that region.

Every case that he was involved in needs to be opened up and an inquiry is needed into him and what went on from when this case was first reported and how high-ranking officers in Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation may have interfered and tried brushing his sexual abuse case under the carpet.

Senior officers allegedly contacted the man’s sister to try and get her to withdraw the complaint, but she refused as the abuse she suffered at his hands was appalling. He was also given character references by senior gardai.

Anyone?

Ex-garda jailed over sexual assaults on sister (RTE)

Graham Dwyer leaving Dun Laoghaire Courthouse on September 18, 2013 after being charged with the murder of Elaine O’Hara

This morning/afternoon.

The Supreme Court is to make orders upholding Graham Dwyer’s successful High Court challenge to Ireland’s data retention laws and dismissing an appeal by the State.

The court confirmed a European ruling that Ireland’s data legislation breaches EU law and this decision must apply to past as well as future cases.

Via Independent.ie:

Confirmation of the decision came from Chief Justice Donal O’Donnell after a lawyer for the State said it had no objection to the orders being made.

It means the Supreme Court will not have to reconvene for any further hearing in the matter and will simply issue the orders.

Foxrock architect Dwyer, who is serving a life sentence for the murder of childcare worker Elaine O’Hara, plans to use the ruling to bolster a separate challenge he has taken against his conviction.

….If the Court of Appeal finds that the data evidence should have been excluded from his trial, it will have to weigh up whether there was enough other evidence to prove the case against Dwyer.

Graham Dwyer case: Supreme Court will dismiss State appeal against data ruling (Independent.ie)

Previously: Unjustifiable Breach

RollingNews

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee The Minister for Justice has said the introduction of facial recognition technology in criminal investigations “is not about mass surveillance”

This morning.

Via RTÉ News:

The Minister for Justice has said the introduction of legislation to enable gardaí to use facial recognition technology (FRT) in criminal investigations “is not about mass surveillance.”

Helen Mc Entee said that there will be safeguards and codes of practice in place to comply with GDPR and protect people’s individual privacy.

However, the minister told rank and file gardaí at their annual conference in Westport this morning, that technology is involved in “a huge amount of criminal activity” and gardaí need to have the resources to deal with this effectively.

She said gardaí spend “thousands of hours trawling through CCTV footage” and in the investigation of certain crimes, such as child abduction, child sexual abuse and murder investigations, “time is of the essence.”

Hmm.

Facial recognition technology ‘not about mass surveillance’ – McEntee (RTE)

RollingNews

Meanwhile…

Via The Irish Council for Civil Liberties:

‘ICCL strongly opposes the use of Facial Recognition Technology (FRT) for law enforcement and in public spaces. In our submission to the Oireachtas on the Garda Digital Recordings Bill ICCL has already called for a ban on the police use of FRT.

‘This is because of the extreme risk to rights posed by FRT. A person’s face is permanently and irrevocably linked to a person’s identity. Our position aligns with a wider European movement to ban the use of FRT by law enforcement.

‘We would be particularly concerned about the move to authorise FRT for An Garda Síochana given their poor record on data protection.

‘Additionally, neither An Garda Síochána or the Department of Justice have shown any demonstration that using FRT is either necessary or proportionate – a legal requirement under human rights law.

‘FRT and other biometric surveillance tools enable mass surveillance and discriminatory targeted surveillance. They have the capacity to identify and track people everywhere they go, undermining the right to privacy and data protection, the right to free assembly and association, and the right to equality and non-discrimination.

‘FRT systems are known for their inability to correctly identify faces that are not white and male, due to inherent biases. ICCL strongly opposes the use of such technology and, with over 170 civil society organisations and activists from 55 countries around the world, is calling for an outright ban on biometric surveillance in public spaces.

‘The Garda Digital Recordings Bill (currently going through Oireachtas) proposes to authorise Garda access to third party CCTV through a live feed.

‘The explanatory note highlights that it is “considered that this may be necessary in relation to an increase in criminal activity in a particular area where 3rd party cameras may be located.”

This is already deeply problematic as it could lead to general monitoring and profiling of certain areas or people, and amount to extended covert surveillance if An Garda Síochána fail to flag this surveillance with affected members of the public. The risk to people’s rights would multiply should these cameras include FRT.’

ICCL

What if I grew a little moustache just here?

Chilly.

This morning/afternoon.

Templemore, county Tipperary.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, on the stand as new garda recruits parade at the Garda Training College.

Meanwhile…

Templemore ‘passing out’.

New guards do their thing.

Meanwhile…

The Garda Commissioner has accepted a finding by the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission that gardaí failed to properly investigate sexual abuse allegations.

The allegations of childhood sexual abuse were first referred to gardaí by Greater Manchester Police.

The allegations were made to GMP over incidents that occurred in Ireland and a “comprehensive report” was sent to gardaí.

But GSOC found that very little was done over a protracted period to carry out an investigation, or to deal with the suspected offender, meaning he remained a risk to children.

Harris accepts GSOC finding on failure to investigate sexual abuse allegations (RTE)

Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews

 

Gulp.

Last night.

Carrigtwohill, county Cork.

Via Garda Press Office:

At approximately 7.30pm, Gardaí attached to the Midleton District Crime Unit and Midleton Drugs Unit stopped and searched a vehicle and discovered 20kg of suspected cannabis herb. The drugs seized are estimated to be worth €400,000. They will now be sent for further analysis. A woman and a man, both aged in their 30s, were arrested at the scene. They are currently detained at Cobh Garda Station under Section 2 of the Drug Trafficking Act 1996.

The streets are a little safer this morning.

RollingNews

This afternoon.

Dublin Airport.

Minister for Justice Helen McEntee and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris (pic 4 left) officially opening Dublin Airport Garda Station.

Situated in Transaer House, the station, which cost ­€3.6million, is operational 24 hours with an Inspector, four Sergeants, 34 Gardaí and a Detective Unit of one Detective Sergeant and eight Detective Gardaí.

It is the first garda station in the country to contain American-style ‘detention pens’ that can each hold 15 people ­sitting.

Any excuse.

Leah Farrell/RollingNews

Gulp.

Last night.

County Cork.

Gardaí seized a quantity of the illegal plant cannabis, with a ‘street value ‘of €60,000, around €9,000 in cash and arrested one man following an operation in Cobh as part of Operation Tara, A man in his late teens was arrested and detained and released without charge. Investigations are ongoing.

The streets are a little safer this morning.

Rollingnews/Garda Press office

From top: Tallaght Garda Station: Plaze Hotel, Tallaght

Yesterday.

Dail Eireann.

Dublin South-West Fianna Fail TD John Lahart complained about the lack of Garda stations in his constituency.

During his address he said:

Tallaght Garda Station, the main Garda station in my constituency along with Rathfarnham Garda station, was designed in the 1970s and built in the 1980s. It is completely outdated.

The Garda in Tallaght now take two floors of the Plaza Hotel, adjacent to Tallaght Garda station in order to be able to fulfil the functions they must fulfil.

Two floors.

Anyone?

Dail Eireann debate, April 27 (Oireachtas.ie)

Pics: RTE/Booking.com

Thanks Bebe