On Friday, 8 October 2021, Dr. Alan Cusack (School of Law), Professor Gautam Gulati (School of Medicine & School of Law) and Professor Colum Dunne (School of Medicine) of the University of Limerick were invited to address a team of officials within the Department of Justice with regard to the terms of the draft the Garda Síochána (Powers) Bill.

At the meeting, Dr. Cusack, Prof. Gulati and Prof. Dunne were invited to contribute their views as to the issue of the exercise of the powers in the Bill (including detention) in respect of adults with impaired capacity.

This contribution builds on a series of other collaborative initiatives that have been undertaken by Dr. Cusack, Professor Gulati, Professor Shane Kilcommins and Professor Colum Dunne in recent months, including:

• Drafting an easy-read Notice of Rights Form C.72(s) for suspects with intellectual disabilities in Ireland;
• Delivering a pilot disability awareness training programme for students on the BA in Applied Policing and MA in Serious Crime Investigation;
• Acting as research partner, Superintendent Andrew Lacey, for the rollout of a Crisis Intervention Team on a pilot basis in Limerick city.