The Commission on the Future of Policing yesterday made important recommendations on reform and strengthening of An Garda Síochána and the School commends the important work done by Dr. Johnny Connolly, a postdoctoral researcher in the School of Law, and one of the eleven members of the Commission.

The Commission emphasised the importance of education in the professionalization of the force, noting that “[e]ducation and learning are critical to the success of a police service… [and] are key to the transformation of policing in Ireland”. The School of Law is proud of its contribution to education and learning within An Garda Síochána over recent years. The Commission acknowledged the role played by the School of Law in foundation training and commended the improvements made in the training of Garda recruits following the redesign and accreditation of the Garda training programme by the University of Limerick in 2014. The School also offers an opportunity to Garda based all over the country to undertake a level 8 degree through its online degree in Applied Policing and criminal justice. In addition, the School has contributed to upskilling members at masters level, including accrediting a Masters in Serious Crime Investigation in 2015 and offering scholarships each year to members of An Garda Síochána to take up a place on our master’s programme in Human Rights in Criminal Justice. We look forward to continuing  to engage with and contribute to the education and learning of members of An Garda Síochána in the years to come and to playing our part in the transformation of policing in Ireland.