Young people in Dublin have been sharing their experiences of being stopped and searched by Gardaí.

Liam Herrick, executive director of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, explained why these first-hand stories are so important.

"This is an intense period for Garda reform, and we wanted to bring it down to the grassroots and how policing is experienced in the community."

"Some communities have more needs from the guards, but can also be more intensely the focus of the guards."

Liam has heard stories of children "being harassed, being moved on without any real reason, being degraded and humiliated, abusive language being used against them."

He says this is "really troubling" and it indicates that there is a cultural problem with young people being profiled by particular groups of Gardaí.

The effect of stopping and searching young people without cause for suspicion, Liam says, is that it sours relationships and creates conflict, which fosters negative attitudes towards the Gardaí and makes policing more difficult.

"If children are treated unfairly on a consistent basis, it's going to make their attitudes very confrontational."

To catch the full chat press the play button on the image on the top of the screen