Third man arrested and woman charged following 'disgusting and thuggish' attack on two gardaí
The scene on the Ballyfermot Road, Dublin where two Gardai were hospitalised in the early hours of this morning after being attacked. Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin
Four people have been arrested following an incident in Dublin last night that led to two members of An Garda Síochána being assaulted.
Two gardaí — one male and one female — were responding to a call regarding a public order incident at a pub in Ballyfermot at around 12.45am.
When they arrived on the scene they encountered a group of people outside the pub on Ballyfermot Road.
While trying to deal with the situation, both gardaí were assaulted by a number of people. They called for assistance which arrived on the scene a short time later.
Both Garda members were taken by ambulance to St James' Hospital where one has since been discharged while the other remains in hospital pending further assessment of the sustained injuries.
The incident has been condemned by An Garda Síochána and a full investigation has been launched.
"My thoughts this morning are with our two colleagues from Ballyfermot who were viciously assaulted last night whilst going about their normal duties, protecting communities in the Ballyfermot area," said Assistant Commissioner in the Dublin Region Angela Willis.
Two men, one aged in his 50s and the other in his 30s, were arrested at the scene and are currently being detained at Ballyfermot Garda Station.
A third man, in his 40s, was arrested in the early hours of Monday morning.
A woman, aged in her 50s, was also arrested at the scene. The woman has since been charged in connection with the incident and has been released from custody. She is scheduled to appear before the Criminal Court of Justice at a later date.
Gardaí are appealing for any person who may have witnessed the incident to come forward.
Any person with video footage should contact the investigative team at Ballyfermot Garda Station 01 6667200, the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111 or any garda station.
The Taoiseach has condemned as “utterly reprehensible” the attack on the two gardaí.
Speaking in Shankill, Co Wicklow, Micheál Martin said: “I would condemn utterly what happened last evening. That attack on two gardaí is reprehensible.
“There can be no toleration for those kinds of assaults on gardaí who are out there putting their lives and limb on the line to protect us all in society.
“It is utterly reprehensible what occurred last evening and I know the gardaí are following up on that.”
Justice Minister Helen McEntee called the attack "disgusting and thuggish".
She said it showed complete disrespect to Gardaí and is completely unacceptable.
Taking to Twitter today, Ms McEntee noted that attacking a member of An Garda Síochána carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison while assault causing serious harm carried a maximum life sentence.
The incident has been widely condemned by locals in the Ballyfermot area.
Speaking this morning, local councillor Daithí Doolan says the level of violence is deeply worrying.
"It was a vicious attack, totally unacceptable that people have to face this level of violence while simply going about doing their job," he said.
"I think it shows the level of work that we need to do together - public representatives, community leaders and the gardaí - to work together to make our streets safer for everybody going about their normal business."
Antoinette Cunningham, General Secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) said she was shocked to see what happened overnight.
Speaking with colleagues this morning, Ms Cunningham said there is a deep sense of unease among Garda members.
"There is a deep sense of unease amongst them all to see colleagues on the ground being kicked, beaten and assaulted while bystanders film it.
"It is absolutely shocking. It needs condemnation by everybody."
Ms Cunningham also called for mandatory sentencing for individuals who attack gardaí or members of the emergency services.
Speaking on on RTÉ Radio 1, she said that a deterrent is needed to eliminate crimes of this nature.
"For too long we have seen people getting suspended sentences (even) when you see gardaí with the most serious of injuries. There has to be mandatory sentencing for people who attack gardaí. Otherwise, there is no deterrent.
"There has to be a deterrent to say if you assault an emergency worker, a gardaí, a fire brigade, an ambulance worker that you will receive a mandatory sentence.
"It is so sad to see that society thinks this is tolerable when it is not."
Ms Cunningham called on politicians to speak out and condemn the incident in Ballyfermot.
She noted that Tánaiste Leo Varadkar spoke about getting tough on crime at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis over the weekend.
"That needs to happen. We need to get tough on crime."
Video footage of the incident is currently circulating on social media although people have been asked not to circulate it further.
Ms Cunningham has said that social media must be accountable when this type of material is being widely circulated.
"There needs to be more accountability from social media outlets. They need to stop the circulation of this type of material because that is what is happening here," said Ms Cunningham.
"You have youngsters uploading this type of material. They think it is trendy or cool or in some way appropriate to do that.
"This fosters copycat-type incidents. And there is no accountability. Social media outlets need to have more responsibility here and stop the circulation of this type of material."
Ms Cunningham said Gardaí are waiting too long for the introduction of body cameras.
She said that Garda Headquarters recently informed them that body cameras won't be rolled out in An Garda Síochána until 2024.
"That is a very long time to wait. We have been calling for the introduction of body cams for some time," she said.
The president of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) has also called for gardaí to be equipped with cameras.
The president of the Garda Representative Association (GRA) has said that Gardaí need to be provided with cameras to deal with incidents such as this.
Brendan O'Connor said that in most other jurisdictions, police would have their own camera and system to record evidence which could assist in prosecution down the line.
"What is very frustrating is, we are relying on grainy phone footage from a member of the public to bring these issues to light and let people see what gardaí are subjected to," Mr O'Connor said.
He added that cameras may also serve as a deterrent for criminals.
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