Gardaí demand more firearms training amid rising gun crime

Gardaí today demanded more firearms training to deal with the increase in gun crime.

Although more than 3,000 gardaí were given permission to carry guns last year, sergeants and inspectors believe that that this number is not sufficient to meet the demand.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) voted to have more personnel trained in the use of firearms in each garda division as a matter of urgency.

Padraig Tully of the Longford/Westmeath garda division said the number of firearms authorisation cards issued last year had dropped by 30% overall, and by as much as 50% in some divisions.

“What this means is that armed gardaí, when required are not available. Detective units are finding it increasingly difficult to mount operations such as searches,” he said.

Mr Tully said the detectives who did have permission to carry guns – normally a .38 Smith and Wesson pistol or an Uzi sub-machine gun – were in short supply and often worked 16-hour days.

“In a time when there are more armed criminals out there, the current numbers simply aren’t enough and they should not have been reduced.”

Although the Garda Siochana prides itself on being an unarmed police force, any of its 12,200 members can be issued with a firearms authorisation card by a chief superintendent.

They then have to successfully complete a firearms training course and are issued with a certificate of competency.

AGSI general secretary Joe Dirwan said that while he supported the spirit of the motion, an increase in the number of gardaí carrying guns would not meet the requirements of a modern police force.

“You cannot properly train up to 3,000 members professionally to provide a skilled and effective firearms response unit. This could be achieved by reducing the numbers carrying firearms and training the remainder up to efficient and professional standards,” he said.

Mr Dirwan pointed out that with the exception of the gardaí serving in the Emergency Response Unit, no officers were trained in how to use guns in the dark, how to intercept vehicles or how to approach occupied buildings.

He also said there was no Garda policy for deploying members in a situation involving armed criminals.

“A detective or members in plain clothes driving a family saloon car armed with a .38 special and a bullet proof sports coat is now expected to deal with criminals sometimes high on drugs, armed with modern high calibre weapons, and driving top of the range, high-powered sports cars,” he said.

Mr Dirwan pointed out that gardaí were supposed to use minimum force yet were equipped with military weapons like the Uzi sub-machine gun, which could deploy 600 rounds per minute.

“We should remember that if things go wrong, it is the individual member that will find themselves in the dock and the excuse about lack of training may not be enough to ensure their liberty and save their careers,” he said.

However, AGSI members voted in favour of the motion to seek more firearms certificates and more training courses. The AGSI executive will now take up the issue with Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy.

Mr Conroy said that although putting more armed detectives on the streets was not the way to tackle gun crime, he would be keeping the situation under review.

“If we require more armed people, that will be done,” he said.

A garda inquiry is currently ongoing into the Emergency Response Unit members who shot dead two men who were attempting to rob a post office in Lusk, Co Dublin, last year.