Gardaí will be given new powers to fine house party organizers

Updated 1 hour ago

CABINET HAS AGREED to grant gardaí new powers that will allow him to impose fines on the occupant of a house where a party or meeting is taking place.

The Gardaí will be allowed to call homes or other closed places and ask those present to disperse.

If people refuse to comply with a request from the garda to leave the party, those who live in the house will automatically be fined.

According to the new law, the occupant will be presumed to be the organizer, unless proven otherwise, and a fixed charge notice will be issued to them.

Under current law, the Gardaí are not legally allowed to enter a home without a warrant.

Under the new legislation, the gardaí still won’t be able to enter someone’s home without a warrant.

However, they will be given the power to prevent people from entering house parties or indoor gatherings that violate the government’s Covid-19 restrictions.

If gardaí suspect that someone is on their way to a house party or is near a house party that is about to start, they may direct them to leave the area peacefully.

The amount of the fines has yet to be determined.

It is also understood that the Cabinet is considering the introduction of fines for those who break the travel limit established in the Level 5 restrictions that will go into effect tomorrow night.

The government announced last night that a 5km limit will be set for exercise during the six-week duration of the restrictions, with a small number of exceptions that will allow people to travel further in certain circumstances.

It was also reported yesterday that a system of fines would be introduced to enforce the restriction. The ministers are currently meeting to discuss how this would work.

Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told reporters outside government buildings this morning that it was important that gardaí had powers to intervene when people refuse to comply with the 5 km limit.

“We need to make sure that people comply with the new rules and regulations so that we don’t have two levels here: one in which the vast majority of people comply with the new rules and regulations for the common good; and a small number of people who don’t, ”he said.

The Garda’s powers to enforce Covid-19 regulations were initially introduced during the first national shutdown in the spring, but the Gardaí has ​​largely sought consenting police as many of those powers expired in the summer.

Last week, Police Authority Chairman Bob Collins tried to moderate calls to reintroduce powers that would allow gardaí to enforce Covid-19 restrictions.

Collins said there was “little evidence” that the additional powers given to the police to enforce regulations in neighboring jurisdictions eradicated the undesirable behavior.

“The authority recognizes the need for individual members of society to take personal responsibility for their actions, particularly in light of the possible implications for public health,” he said.

With information from Christina Finn