Doubt cast on when gardaí may receive pursuit training

Doubt has been cast on when frontline gardaí may receive pursuit training, with Garda representatives telling the Oireachtas Justice Community they do not expected to see it until early until next year or later.

Commissioner Justin Kelly and Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan previously indicated that training would begin this year.

However, General Secretary of the Garda Representative Association Ronan Slevin said it was "highly unlikely" that gardaí will see pursuit training in 2026 "given our requirements under the EU Presidency and policing of that event which is intense to say the least".

Assistant Commissioner Dennis Ferry later told the committee that he hopes around 40 instructors will be trained by the end of the year, and that the first group of six garda will have received it before 2027.

Assistant Commissioner Ferry said that there is no defined timeline on when all gardaí who are earmarked for training will receive it, adding that "what we'll be doing is prioristing the units that need to be trained first".

The Justice Committee is meeting with garda management, the GRA and AGSI this afternoon to discuss garda pursuits, resources and training.

A particular focus of the meeting is on additional resources and training that may be required by gardaí.

The meeting comes after five teenage boys were killed in a two-car collision on the M9 in August when their car was driven in the wrong direction on the motorway at Moone, Co Kildare.

A family who were in the second car, three women and a boy, were taken to hospital for treatment.

The crash triggered a wider discussion about the capacity of gardaí to pursue vehicles that purposely drive the wrong way down motorways in a bid to evade arrest.

Speaking in the days following the crash, the Garda Representative Association (GRA) said that not a single member of An Garda Síochána has received pursuit training.

Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan said at the time that the Garda Commissioner had committed to commence such training this year.

He also said that legislation was being prepared to strengthen garda protections "when it comes to pursuit".

Almost 200 gardaí trained to stop vehicles in 'dynamic situations' - Kelly

Speaking at the Ploughing Championships in Co Offaly today, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said there are almost 200 gardaí who are specially trained to stop vehicles in "dynamic situations".

"We have almost 200 members of An Garda Síochána, specialised members, who are trained at stopping vehicles in dynamic situations," said Comm Kelly.

When asked about burglary gangs, the commissioner said those involved "don't care about the law, don’t care about enforcement".

"When we look [at] some of our specialist units, we actually throw a lot of energy and resources behind this.

"Any of these big operations that target these groups, as you can imagine, they don’t often want to stop for us but we’ve got members who are trained in how to deal with this.

"The problem for us is it’s often very dangerous, very difficult, we often have guards injured, garda vehicles damaged, but we’re determined to tackle these gangs and we certainly cannot cede the motorways and the communities to some of these individuals," said Comm Kelly.

Today's Justice Committee will hear from the GRA and the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) in the first session, and garda management in the second session.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Committee Cathaoirleach Matt Carthy said: "We welcome the opportunity to meet with senior garda representatives about the challenges facing garda members in responding to increasingly dangerous driving behaviour, including deliberate contra-flow driving, failures to stop and other incidents involving vehicles, e-bikes and e-scooters.

"Gardaí must have the appropriate training, resources, operational guidance and legal protections to enable them to carry out their duties safely and effectively.

"Garda representative bodies continue to raise significant concerns about the availability of pursuit training and the clarity of the framework for members who must make split-second decisions in extremely challenging circumstances," added Mr Carthy.