Just 8 gardaí trained to use water cannon and 250 taser-ready
ONLY ‘around eight’ gardaí are trained in the use of water cannon and ‘fewer than 250’ are trained to use tasers, the Irish Mail on Sunday has learned.
The Garda Press Office refused to give details on the number of gardaí trained in either tasers or water cannon but the MoS has learned there are ‘seven to eight’ gardaí trained in the use of water cannon and between 240 and 250 trained in the use of tasers.
A source said: ‘It doesn’t take that long to train them to operate the water cannon, but you need a crew of four on each cannon to drive the truck and operate the controls. The chief [in the Dublin Metropolitan north central region], Paddy McMenamin, was historically trained in 2004 for the May Day riots as a matter of fact. There are six to eight gardaí trained in their use.’
Another source questioned the use of tasers in a public order situation, saying: ‘It’s bizarre really. No public order unit in the world uses tasers; tasers are to disarm an immediate threat. How are you going to taser protesters? Tactically it doesn’t make sense.’
The Garda Press Office told the MOS: ‘Regarding water cannon, training took place to refresh previously trained operators of water cannons and the water cannons are now an available tactic to Public Order
Operational Commanders for An Garda Síochána.’
More details of the policing response to the riots in Dublin last Thursday week have now become clear.
Sources say there is ‘no structured red alert system’ to respond to an emergency like the one we saw in Dublin that night. ‘The response was fairly quick but that is because gardaí didn’t want to see colleagues getting the s*** kicked out of them,’ said a source. ‘We all wanted to help. But it wasn’t a co-ordinated, all-systems-go alert. There is no official group messaging system, so it did come down to everyone texting each other and those working making contact with those off. ‘We’re not a standby, but maybe the question should be asked do we need to carry something like an old-fashioned pager for this type of emergency. The response last Thursday was very much based on good will, because we all realised our colleagues were in danger,’ the source added.
Another source said of the far right groups responsible for Thursday’s violent scenes: ‘They are looking for a catalyst, but they are going to do it when we least expect it. I don’t think we will see those numbers again while everyone is on high alert. They will wait; the element of surprise is what they do.’