Racism & policing
INAR’s WOrk on Racism and policing
In a functioning democracy, Police are defined as the holders of the ‘monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force’, where that force is legitimate when used in the application of the rule of law and using means which also uphold the rule of law. Police forces are also guarantors of certain fundamental rights by protecting citizens from crime, and bringing violators of rights to justice. For the law and human rights to be applied, means that it must be applied equally to all who reside in Ireland. Instances where there is a failure to equally uphold the rights of minorities by failing to treat them equally or by failing to protect them from hate crime, are failures that are of grave concern to INAR.
Ensuring that Police provide equal protection of human rights and uphold the law for everyone equally, requires robust structures for oversight and accountability.
See below on INAR’s work in the area of racism and policing.
PABI PROJECT
The Policing Africans & Brazilians in Ireland (PABI) Project seeks to document, analyse and explore the experiences with policing of people of African descent in Ireland, and the Brazilian community in Ireland.
‘Policing and Racial Discrimination in Ireland: A Community and Rights Perspective’
This is a report that highlights and details the perceptions and experiences of racial discrimination in Ireland of people from ethnic minority communities when interacting with members of An Garda Síochána.
POLICING BALBRIGGAN INITIATIVE
This project set up a website reporting tool that helps our community understand how members of the public experience policing in Balbriggan, and how to support community action to improve policing.
The website also contains a section where you can learn about your rights when it comes to policing.
iReport.ie reports of racism in Ireland
INAR produces the iReport.ie Reports of Racism in Ireland, which regularly monitor An Garda Siochana’s responses to hate crimes and minorities.
Submission to the commission on the future of policing in ireland
INAR has welcomed the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland’s report “The Future of Policing in Ireland”, to which it contributed its own submission, and to the submission of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, “A Human Rights-Based Approach to Policing in Ireland”
In its submission to the above Commission, INAR highlights concerns and makes recommendations for change in An Garda Siochana, notably in the areas of:
- Accountability and Oversight
- Racial Profiling
- Police Culture
- Diversity within the Force
- An Garda Siochana’s engagement with minority communities
- AGS’s capacity to respond appropriately to hate crimes
Facing Facts: Hate Crime and the Criminal Justice System
Since 2016 INAR has been a partner on the Facing Facts project, where it co-created key resources for developing Police and Prosecution services capacity to respond to hate crime.
It also engaged in an in-depth project examining the Irish Criminal Justice System’s capacity to process and communicate data on hate crime. The ‘Connectin on hate crime data in Ireland’ report, authored jointly by INAR’s Director Shane OCurry and hate crime expert Joanna Perry, can be found here.
Responding to Racism Guide: How to report racism and where to find help
Information about your rights in dealing with racist crime or about your rights with regards An Garda Siochana, can be found in INAR’s Responding to Racism Guide.
#LoveNotHate campaign for hate crime legislation
INAR is campaigning for the introduction of hate crime legislation in Ireland. Join the #LoveNotHate campaign call and find out more here.
Coalition against hate crime Ireland (CAHC)
INAR is the coordinating organisation of the CAHC, a civil society coalition whose Members represent groups commonly targeted in hate crimes. Find out about CAHC’s work here.