Mounties ready to help gardaí get their man

THE Mounties always get their man, as the saying goes. Now they are preparing to impart some of their policing knowledge to the gardaí as part of a training pact.

Three senior members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) were at the garda training college in Templemore yesterday to watch 84 new members of the force graduate.

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Pat McDonnell, Superintendent Dale Sheehan and executive development officer Suzanne Babisky revealed they have started exchanging ideas on training and tactics which will be of mutual benefit.

Assistant Commissioner McDonnell said it was planned to make a formal arrangement between the two forces shortly.

“We see this leading to exchanges of instructors and senior officers for training purposes,” he said.

He pointed out that in the 1880s the Mounties took their training ideas from the then RIC training school in Dublin.

Chief Supt Kieran McGann, head of garda training, said the force had already developed strong relationships with police in Britain and the PSNI.

“It is vital that we relate with other international police organisations and establish best practice in various areas of training, including. cybercrime, specialist training, crime investigation methods and executive training,” he said.

Justice Michael McDowell said that between attested and student gardaí the strength of the force will rise to 14,000 by the end of this year.

A minute’s silence was held in remembrance of student Garda Martin Coen, who died last Saturday on his way to work in Kells, when his car collided with two horses. He was due to graduate in June.

The Commissioner’s Medal for the student with the highest exam marks went to Johanna Connolly, Glenamaddy, Co Galway.

The Gary Sheehan Memorial Medal for best all-round student was presented to Tallaght-based Pauline Glennon, while Pauline Sheehan, from Brosna, Co Kerry, was awarded the prize for best social sciences student.