Gardaí caught in ramming incident ‘not trained’ to deal with it
Two officers had done only one day’s training
THE two gardaí whose patrol car was repeatedly rammed by a reckless joyrider in Dublin were ‘not adequately trained’ to deal with the situation, the Garda Representative Association has said.
The two female gardaí who responded to the incident at Cherry Orchard Avenue in west Dublin on Monday evening were not allowed to pursue the drivers involved, break the speed limit or even turn on their sirens.
It’s understood they had completed a one-day Competency Based Driver (CBD) Level 1 assessment, which authorises them to drive patrol cars, but not in emergency situations.
Shocking footage on social media this week shows a large number of young people from Cherry Orchard shouting encouragement as two stolen vehicles speed down the council estate.
As the cars make a 180-degree turn at the roundabout, the Garda car can be seen following them at a regular speed before stopping.
‘Very lucky they weren’t injured’
One of the cars then rams the patrol vehicle before backing up and doing it again.
Shouts of laughter and applause can be heard from the spectators as the gardaí inside the damaged car leave the scene.
The two officers inside the vehicle escaped the scene uninjured but are said to be ‘very shaken’ and ‘traumatised’.
GRA president Brendan O’Connor told the Irish Daily Mail that it’s ‘shocking’ that gardaí are expected to attend to dangerous situations with minimum powers.
‘When a garda completes a CBD Level 1 assessment, they have to sign an agreement that they will not turn on their blue lights or break any traffic rules when rushing to an emergency. It’s absolutely ludicrous,’ he said.
‘These Garda members were very lucky they weren’t injured in this very hostile environment.
‘But there’s a huge problem of junior guards in the country driving on CBD 1. They could see a car weaving all over the road, but would not be allowed to signal for them to stop or even warn oncoming traffic.
‘Guards are afraid to do their job and have been disciplined in the past for responding to real emergencies,’ he said.
Mr O’Connor claimed that gardaí are exposed to this type of dangerous incident every day.
‘What we saw on Monday were vehicles being used as weapons to attack our members,’ he said.
‘Unfortunately, we just have to look at the memorial wall and the Garda Memorial Gardens to know how many guards have actually lost their lives as a result of people using vehicles dangerously or recklessly.’
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris described the incident in Cherry Orchard as ‘disgraceful’ and has vowed that those responsible will be investigated.
Speaking at the National Ploughing Championships in Co. Laois, Mr Harris claimed there have been ‘vigorous’ police operations in Cherry Orchard and did not accept that the gardaí involved had inadequate resources.
‘That first car was the initial response but in the end we had 11 mobiles deployed and that restored order,’ he said.
‘I would say there has been vigorous police operations in that area over the last number of weeks and we have seized vehicles, arrests have been made and people have been brought before the courts,’ he said.
Justice Minister Helen McEntee described the incident as ‘unacceptable and utterly disrespectful of the rule of law and the law-abiding community’, adding: ‘Those showing contempt for gardaí and decent communities will be investigated.’
Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) president Antoinette Cunningham said social media is a ‘huge factor’ following these occurrences.
‘The worry here is that this encourages copycat-type incidents,’ she said on RTÉ Radio 1.
Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys denied that the Government was ‘presiding over lawlessness’.
Chairman of the Justice Committee James Lawless said he will be recommending that the relevant bodies appear before the committee to discuss the incident.
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‘Disrespectful of the rule of law’