Garda chief defends use of armed officers at Covid-19 checkpoints

GARDA Commissioner Drew Harris has defended the deployment of armed officers at Covid-19 checkpoints.

Concerns about the use of armed officers were raised by the Policing Authority.

Members were worried that this approach might be perceived as being incompatible with the key messages being sent out by gardaí of engaging and encouraging the public to comply with the emergency measures.

In the second of its reports assessing the policing performance by gardaí during the Covid-19 crisis, the Policing Authority said Mr Harris had responded to concerns by stating that the presence of armed members was to continue policing of serious and organised crime.

Armed detectives had also been redeployed to increase visibility and had resulted in criminals being identified at checkpoints.

Proportionate

The authority said that while this was acknowledged, concern remained that this type of activity would become routine, rather than exceptional.

The report, published yesterday after it had been submitted to Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan, found that the new powers were being applied proportionately.

It concluded a reasonable approach was being taken at road checkpoints and that gardaí engaged pro-actively with communities across the country “to very positive effect”.

Authority chairman Bob Collins said the new statutory measures conferred powers on gardaí that could scarcely have been contemplated some weeks ago.

“This is a health emergency. It is not a policing or a crime emergency.

“The public understand that and the role that gardaí have to play,” he said.

Mr Collins added the new powers quite significantly “infringe on our rights to liberty, assembly and association and, for many, the rights to a family life”.

He said: “However, it is of great national importance, and indeed a matter of life and death, that the spread of the virus is limited to the greatest extent possible.”