Crisis intervention teams to be piloted in Limerick city in wake of George Nkencho killing

Emergency response teams including gardaí and mental health professionals will be piloted in the city as early as next April

The absence of crisis intervention teams was raised in the aftermath of the fatal shooting of George Nkencho by armed gardaí last December, which provoked a wave of protests, above. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA

Long-awaited “crisis intervention” teams, which bring together gardaí, mental health workers, and other professionals, are set to be piloted in Limerick City as early as April next year.

The special multi-agency bodies are designed to be expert emergency response units tasked with dealing with potentially volatile situations, often involving a mental health-related crisis.