[ad_1]
The Police Authority has once again criticized the Gardaí’s use of anti-saliva hoods and has reiterated its opposition to them.
In his latest report on Covid-19 surveillance released today, he also says its use in “vulnerable people” is cause for concern and is particularly opposed to its use in children.
Since April there have been 192 incidents of spitting or coughing in Gardaí, 48 of them since the last report by the authority in July.
While anti-saliva hoods have not been used on children since July, they have been used since April on people with perceived mental health problems.
The authority says that while the well-being of the gardaí is a priority for the authority, no evidence has been presented that the anti-spit hoods provide effective protection for the gardaí, particularly with regards to preventing the transmission of Covid-19.
The Police Authority says it contacted the distributors directly who stated that the anti-spitting hoods had not been tested for their ability to prevent respiratory or airborne droplets that spread Covid-19.
It also says that there are many human rights concerns regarding its use, specifically the right to human dignity, the right to life, the right not to be subjected to torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and the right to a private life and family life, which includes the right to physical, moral and psychological integrity.
Also, the use of anti-spitting hoods on vulnerable people, he says, is a constant source of concern.
The authority also says it continues to condemn verbal and physical attacks on members that are carried out by a small minority of the public.
Domestic violence and abuse
The authority’s report is positive regarding domestic violence and police abuse, saying that organizations dealing with victims have reported “a paradigm shift” in the Garda’s approach to crime.
The authority says that victims of this type of crime now have greater confidence in the gardaí, in the security measures outlined for them and greater confidence in reporting the crime.
This, the authority says, has resulted in a large number of new victims coming forward.
The report says organizations that work with victims say there has been “a greater and more nuanced understanding” among the Gardaí of crime, an understanding that “there is no single type of victim or perpetrator” and improvements in standards of crime. taking statements, greater communication and better follow-up.
One group, the report says, commented that the Gardaí were “knocking on doors” where they knew abuse was a problem and “reached out” and then effectively linked with support organizations in their area.
Authority Chairman Bob Collins says organizations continue to be uniformly positive about Operation Faoiseamh, not only in terms of the additional resources put into this area of policing, but also in awareness and perceived improvements in practice within scored by An Garda Síochána when we have the information.
The report cautions, however, that the key question raised by organizations working in this area is whether the effort, attention and focus on domestic abuse surveillance will diminish as the pandemic subsides or whether the current approach will normalize. as surveillance as usual. .
[ad_2]