Garda to get less-lethal weapons, to curb unnecessary use of firearms

JUSTICE Minister Michael McDowell is to authorise the use of less lethal weapons by the Garda Emergency Response Unit in a bid to avoid the unnecessary use of firearms.

This comes in the wake of the Abbeylara siege shooting in which a man emerged from a house in Co Longford with a loaded shotgun which he had earlier discharged; he was shot the Garda Emergency Response Unit.

The new weapons, which the Minister did not describe, will be available only to gardaí trained in their use.

Mr McDowell also responded to recent criticism of gardaí who are not co-operating with a Garda Complaints Board inquiry into pitched police battles with protestors during the Reclaim the Streets demonstration in May. Mr McDowell reiterated it is not an option for any garda to opt out of the investigative process subject to their constitutional rights.

Chief Executive of the Garda Complaints Board, Gordon Holmes, has criticised some gardaí for their failure to co-operate with the inquiry, claiming they seemed to show more loyalty to their colleagues than to the force.

Said Mr. McDowell: "When the Gardaí want to investigate the ordinary people, they can't opt out of the investigative process, and the same applies to a garda."

Mr McDowell was speaking at the graduation ceremony of 118 new garda recruits at the Garda College in Templemore, Co Tipperary.

Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne told the large gathering of new graduates and their parents that the Garda Síochána did great work in investigating allegations made against their colleagues over the years.

He said that "while it can be described as scandalous when people see members of the gardaí being convicted in the courts, it must never be forgotten who arrested them, who interrogated them, gathered the information and brought them before the courts."

Minister McDowell said that in a changing society, the unquestioning attitude which existed in our society for generations towards those in authority is no longer there. The Garda Síochána are not exempt from these developments, he said.

The Minister said to maintain high standards in an era of rapid change will require new structures and procedures.

Principal among these is the new Garda Inspectorate: "I envisage that this inspectorate will comprise a fully independent, three-person body and will have extensive powers to investigate independently complaints against members of the Force.

"In this regard it will have the powers of an Ombudsman and it is my intention to publish the necessary legislation next year," Mr McDowell said.

Asked about the Government's election commitment to recruit 2,000 extra gardaí into the force, Mr McDowell said he intends to bring proposals to Government in the relatively near future to enable him to start an accelerated garda recruitment programme.