Gardai are in “limbo” over how they will give an on the spot fine to a person hosting a house party if they don’t answer the door, a garda body has said.
Tough new penalties set out fines from €1,000 to €2,500 and jail terms from one to six months for a third offence for throwing a bash in lockdown.
However, General Secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI), Antoinette Cunningham, has raised concerns about the new powers gardai will be given under new legislation.
She told RTE: “We police by consent and our association feel that any risk to changing or undermining the policing by consent model is very grave and something that should be given the utmost consideration to.
“We have heard things like fines on the spot for the owner or occupier of a dwelling where there’s a house party.
“It’s based on the assumption that you’re going to get an answer to the door in the first place and if you don’t get an answer when you call to that house then where does it leave you with the issuing of a fine on the spot?”
Ms Cunningham said she agrees with Justice Minister Helen McEntee that gardai will not be allowed to enter into people’s homes.
But she added: “We’ve heard talk of going to and coming from parties, I mean how is that to be determined in a practical sense?
“We all have the image of somebody walking down the road with a six pack under their arm and that’s not really the case.
“We’re not going to be policing people’s shopping trolleys to see if they have some craft beer or a bottle of wine and then make the assumption they are going to a house party and issue them with a fine on the spot.”
Ms Cunningham has appealed for the slowing down of the process of the introduction of fines to allow greater consultation.
She said: “We don’t believe it has been considered enough because we’re not sure what the consultative process around this was.
“Covid is going to be around for a long time which potentially means fines could be in place for a long time.
“If you’re going to introduce legislation that’s going to have a long term impact on people then you should give that the utmost and careful consideration and think of the practical application of it before it’s brought in because there’s nothing as bad as legislation that’s poorly developed.”
