Garda commissioner Drew Harris has voiced his concern about the rise of the far right in Ireland. Harris, who was made commissioner last year, was speaking during a meeting of the Irish Policing Authority when he made the comments.
He also detailed how the gardaí will change its approach to the issue of hate crime.
A European-wide problem
Harris told those in attendance that he is “concerned” about the rise of the far right in Ireland. Noting that it is also “a concern right across Europe”, he said:
We are not going to be immune from that. And we can see evidence of it starting to lap up on to our shores.
And as a result, he argued that the response of the gardaí to hate crime and extremism “is very important”.
Hate crime
Harris was initially asked about the gardaí’s approach to tackling hate crime. He responded by saying that the organisation now has “a clear hate crime definition”. And he went on to detail how the gardaí has to “implement a plan in terms of the investigation of hate crime” by the end of the year.
Part of the gardaí’s plans will involve a method of online reporting of hate crime. He also stated there is a plan to “standardise” the approach to the investigation of hate crime.
Featured image via Policing Authority – Screenshot
