AGSI says arming gardaí would be 'step too far' as Varadkar says he would support move
Asked if he thought the State needs an armed force, Leo Varadkar said he would say “yes” and not block a move to arm Gardaí if asked to do so by Commissioner Drew Harris. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie
Fully arming An Garda Siochána would be a “step too far” for most force members and it not in keeping with the ethos of the force, the representative group for mid-ranking officers has said.
Antoinette Cunningham, general secretary of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors was responding to comments from incoming Taoiseach and current Tánaiste Leo Varadkar that he would support arming officers.
In an interview with the , Mr Varadkar hit out at what he called the “really appalling” scenes in Ballyfermot this week where two Garda officers were seriously assaulted on camera.
Asked if he thought the State needs an armed force, he said he would say “yes” and not block a move to arm Gardaí if asked to do so by Commissioner Drew Harris.
“That’s very much a decision for the Garda Commissioner rather than a politician. But certainly, if the Garda Commissioner came to me or the Minister for Justice and said ‘we need guards to be armed, or that we need more guards to be armed,’ well then I would absolutely say yes. I certainly wouldn’t do anything to block that if he felt that was the right approach,” Mr Varadkar said.
In comments issued on social media on Sunday afternoon, Ms Cunningham said society has changed but a fully armed force would be a step too far for most AGSI colleagues and doesn’t match the Garda ethos of policing by consent.
“Unlikely that this would be sought other than to expand already existing specialist units,” she tweeted.
Sinn Féin spokesperson on Justice, Martin Kenny meanwhile criticised the government’s ongoing failure to provide adequate policing levels in Dublin.
An analysis by Sinn Féin of Garda numbers across the state has found that the total Garda membership has fallen since 2009, during a time when the population has grown by more than 11%.
Dublin now has 17.8% fewer members of An Garda Síochána than in 2009, despite substantial population growth in the city and county during this time, the party has said.
“The situation is particularly concerning in Dublin, as the number of Gardaí has dropped by almost 18% in this time period,” he said.
“Dublin has lost 17.8%, or 757 members of An Garda Síochána, since 2009. While the population has grown by 15.5% in this time, the city and county is being policed by fewer Gardaí than ever before. Fine Gael’s lax attitude to police numbers is appalling and must change,” he said.
Mr Kenny said many of the Gardaí working overtime are doing so to cover policing duties that other stations are unable to meet due to a nationwide shortage.
He said the attack on gardaí in Ballyfermot this week is an example of that as the gardaí who were viciously set upon were attached to another station and were required to cover duties in the Ballyfermot area.
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