Professor Dermot Walsh’s research expertise in policing is being called upon by the Irish media following the announcement of a major review of policing in Ireland.
Professor Walsh, Co-Director of Research at Kent Law School, has published widely on policing and criminal justice and is regarded as a leading expert in Ireland on the An Garda Síochána or ‘Garda’, the Irish police force. This week, he was interviewed by the Irish Examiner in the wake of news that the Irish Government is to establish a new Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland.
In his interview for the newspaper, available to read online, Professor Walsh said the new commission should be “wholly independent of government” with an overall objective to establish “why the Garda seems so prone to corruption, neglect, and inefficiency.”
Professor Walsh’s research expertise is often called upon by the Irish print and broadcast media; in February he published an opinion piece in The Irish Times on “the fundamental flaws in Garda governance”. He was previously interviewed by the Irish Examiner following the sudden departure of the head of the Irish police force and again when the Irish Government decided to establish a new Policing Authority.
The second edition of Professor Walsh’s book Walsh on Criminal Procedure, was published by Round Hall at the end of last year. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of all aspects of criminal procedure in Ireland from police powers of investigation right through to post-sentencing processes. The second edition responds to recent developments by offering a wide-ranging, expert and accessible analysis of all aspects of Irish criminal procedure.
He is also the author of Juvenile Justice (Round Hall, 2005)