Garda hospitalised after being knocked down by bike 

The e-bike rider deliberately targeted the garda who was on patrol in a west Dublin park, sources said

Hartstown Park in Blanchardstown, Dublin , where a member of the Gardai was struck by a scambler bike. Picture: Arthur Carron/Collins Photos

A garda was hospitalised after he was knocked down by an e-bike rider while on patrol targeting drug dealing and the illegal use of scrambler bikes.

The e-bike rider, a juvenille, appeared to deliberately target the garda who was on patrol in a west Dublin park, sources said.

The garda required stitches but has since been released from hospital.

Gardaí from Blanchardstown were on patrol in Hartstown Park on Sunday evening when they encountered a male youth driving erratically on an e-bike, garda headquarters said.

"Gardaí attempted to stop the youth, and in doing so, a member of an Garda Síochána was struck by said driver, knocking him to the ground.

"The member of An Garda Síochána suffered minor injuries."

The e-bike rider, a male youth, was arrested at the scene. He was taken to a garda station in Dublin where he was detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.

He has since been released without charge, and a file will be prepared for the Garda National Youth Diversion Bureau.

Investigations are ongoing, garda headquarters said.

Gardaí were on proactive patrol in the park targeting drug dealing and the illegal and potentially dangerous use of scrambler bikes and e-bikes when the garda was struck by the e-bike after 5pm on Sunday.

A new law called Grace’s Law has banned the use of scrambler bikes in public places after 16-year-old Grace Lynch was killed after she was hit by a scrambler bike in Finglas, Dublin, in January. 

Detective Garda Mark Ferris, the Garda Representative Association (GRA) representative for west Dublin, said that incidents like this are becoming all too common.

“I wish my colleague a full and speedy recovery from the injuries he sustained while doing exactly what the public expects of us, keeping the people of Blanchardstown safe.

“The members involved were engaged in a planned operation against the well-publicised scourge of scramblers and e‑bike criminality when an individual drove a motorised bike directly at a colleague, knocking him to the ground requiring him to receive stitches and medical treatment.

“The suspect was arrested and the injured Garda was transported to hospital.” 

Gardaí are entitled to carry out their duties without facing deliberate and targeted attacks, Mr Ferris said.

“No one signed up for that level of risk. Too many offenders now feel emboldened to attack Gardaí in uniform and that has to stop,” he said.

“The full weight of the criminal justice system, and the wider apparatus of the State, must be brought to bear, and acknowledge, those who think and believe it is acceptable to assault garda members. It is my view that constant, disproportionate and often ill‑informed criticism of An Garda Síochána also creates a climate in which some people feel licensed to confront and attack gardaí. 

"I believe we should be very careful not to follow the UK down a path where criminals believe they can assault police with impunity because the wider discourse has turned against them.” 

Mr Ferris called on Government “to confront the wider societal shift in Ireland in how gardaí are treated” and to ensure that assaults on gardaí are met with a response “that makes it absolutely and evidently clear that an attack on a Garda is an attack on the State".