Gun debate: Arming the gardaí

HEAD of the Garda Inspectorate, Kathleen O’Toole, said she fears for the safety of the force at a time of a high level of gun crime. But she insisted that gardaí should remain unarmed.

The debate over whether or not gardaí should carry guns was raised last month following the shooting of Dublin traffic branch officer, Paul Sherlock.

But Ms O’Toole said despite the threat of gangland violence she hopes she will “never have to make a recommendation to arm the gardaí”.

Speaking at the 10th annual Céifin Conference in Ennis, Co Clare, Ms O’Toole said: “I have huge respect for gardaí that they perform their duties unarmed. I worry about their safety, especially at a time when guns are becoming more prevalent here. But we hope that we can make other recommendations to enhance their safety without resorting to an armed police service.

“We have already made a recommendation for a second-tiered response unit so there will be armed gardaí available when necessary for siege situations and crimes involving guns. Our hope is that uniformed gardaí on the beat will not have to carry guns routinely,” she said.

The former Boston Police Commissioner said that as a result of recent tribunals, “confidence has been shaken in the police and rightly so”. She said: “There must be acknowledgement of mistakes made in the past and there must be strategies to ensure that those same mistakes don’t occur again.

“I think the Irish people are looking for reassurance. They’re demanding a more visible and effective service but they still stand firmly behind the police and I applaud that,” she said.

Ms O’Toole said Ireland should develop a model of community policing which would involve gardaí working with politicians and community representatives in reducing crime through addressing quality of life issues.

She said this model has been successful in US cities, and that in Boston, where she once worked, it helped to reduce crime

especially among young people: ”We came to realise that prevention and intervention are more important, than enforcement,” she said.

Community policing, she said, “should not be an assignment, but an ethos practiced by all gardaí”.