Calls for gardaí to carry out sting operations to catch corrupt politicians

Eva Osborne

There's a call for gardaí to be allowed to carry out sting operations or "integrity tests" to catch corrupt politicians and officials.

It is one of 68 recommendations made by the Garda Síochána Inspectorate that has also proposed allowing gangland informants, who are providing intelligence to gardaí, to commit criminal offences in certain circumstances.

It would give officers the power to sanction illegal conduct by sources in order to help bring down criminal gangs.

According to the Garda Síochána Inspectorate, this would mirror systems in other countries that allow law enforcement to sanction certain illegal conduct by intelligence sources in order to dismantle criminal organisations.

The Irish Times reported that the inspectorate, whose rule includes monitoring Garda performance, made the recommendation in a broad assessment of how An Garda Síochána handles organised and transnational crime.

It was the inspectorate’s final report before the office is folded into the new Policing and Community Safety Authority.