How many Gardai can use a siren..? HQ: We can’t say
Garda rank and f ile say withheld f igures could ‘highlight inadequacies’
GARDAÍ are unable to say how many members of the force are legally able to use their blue lights to respond to an emergency.
It comes amid serious concerns within the force after it emerged a garda is being investigated by the policing watchdog GSOC for an alleged breach of discipline after he responded to an armed incident, despite not having a specialist driving qualification, known as CBD2, which allows officers to use sirens and blue lights to respond to emergencies.
Asked two weeks ago how many gardaí are specialist drivers trained to respond to incidents using their blue lights, a Garda spokesperson said the ‘requested data is not available to this office within the timeframe provided in your enquiry’.
In a follow-up query, the Irish Mail on Sunday was told gardaí would not be able to provide the information because the figures Garda management have includes retired and promoted members.
But when pressed again this week on the number of gardaí with the specialist driver qualification, a spokesperson claimed ‘the requested data is operational’.
The refusal of Garda headquarters to provide the information comes amid consternation within the force over the treatment of the garda whose career may be on the line for responding to an armed incident.
Confusion over how many serving officers have CBD2 licenses has also sparked concerns about the force’s capacity to respond to blue light emergencies across the country.
The garda under investigation who is trained to CBD level 1 - is entitled to drive a squad car, but is not allowed to use his blue lights or drive in bus lanes. A source told the MoS: ‘GSOC has interpreted the guidelines for CBD1 to conclude that any CBD1 driver who responds to a call of any sort is breaching discipline. CBD1 is for follow-up calls.’
Highlighting the shortages of qualified drivers in some districts, a source said: ‘At one point recently across two Garda stations in the ‘G’ Garda division in Crumlin, there was only one qualified driver and that is across eight units.’
In 2018 the Garda Inspectorate visited eight different districts to determine the number of qualified drivers at one time.
It found that, in the Dublin Metropolitan Region South, only 17% of officers on at the time were trained to drive to emergencies. In Dublin North Central, 30% of gardaí were trained to respond. In
Donegal, 26% were adequately qualified, while in Cork city the figure was 31%. However, in Wexford and Kerry, the number of gardaí that were qualified to respond to blue light emergencies was significantly higher, at over 70%.
During the Inspectorate visits to stations, concerns were raised about the low number of Level 2 qualified drivers on frontline duties.
In one district, a regular unit reported just one member of the unit had the CBD2 qualification. The Inspectorate found: ‘As a result, there are occasions when there is no qualified driver available.’
In a 2018 report, the Policing Authority found that, ‘out of 26 Garda members in one Garda unit the Authority visited, only one had sufficient training to drive in emergency situations. A further two had the very basic level of CBD driver training which would allow them to drive a service vehicle, but not respond to emergencies or engage in highspeed pursuits.’
The figures from the Garda Inspectorate were compiled before Covid when the Garda driving school and Garda College effectively closed for two years.
Asked about the number of frontline gardaí trained to drive to emergencies in recent weeks, a Garda spokesperson said: ‘The requested data is not available to this office within the timeframe provided in your enquiry.
‘The Garda College, including the Garda Driving school, was effectively closed for two years, from March 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘This impacted the number of driving courses provided and consequent certified drivers within An Garda Síochána with a lost opportunity to train in excess of 1,000 drivers in that period. During 2022 and 2023 just under 1,200 Garda drivers were certified at CBD2 level.’
They said the Garda driving school can train around 600 Garda drivers at CBD2 level each year.
But in a statement this week, gardaí said the requested information was ‘operational’.
‘We are happy to confirm the following details by way of guidance. In the years 2022 and 2023, just under 1,200 Garda drivers were certified at CBD2 level.’
The president of the Garda Representative Organisation representing rank-and-file officers, Brendan O’Connor, said providing the information ‘could expose the inability of gardaí to respond to emergencies or follow fleeing suspects’.
He told the MoS: ‘We constantly see the use of Garda computer systems to record and generate statistics which are subsequently published to counteract comments about perceived resource shortfalls, yet statistics that would highlight serious inadequacies that impact on our members’ ability to deliver a service are withheld.’
‘There was only one qualified driver’
‘The requested data is not available’