The body representing rank and file gardai say they feel vulnerable to either internal disciplinary processes or criminal prosecution over pursuits, just for trying to uphold the law
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly making his comments about pursuits aftre a meeting with the oversight body the PCSA in north Dublin last Thursday. Photo: Sam Boal/Collins Photos
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly says frontline officers should not be reluctant to drive after suspects – after it emerged two members face prosecution for doing just that.
The Irish Mirror has learned that the officers have been notified they are to be prosecuted for alleged dangerous driving following separate car pursuits in Dublin.
Each officer faces prosecution after investigations by Fiosrú, the office of the Police Ombudsman formerly known as GSOC.
One officer is due in court on Monday morning over an incident which is alleged to have taken place in north Dublin in mid-2024.
That relates to the incident in which gardai were pursuing an allegedly stolen car.
The second took place in the west of the city in 2025.
On that occasion, gardai were trying to detain a teenage girl as part of an investigation into drug-dealing in the area.
Sources tell us the girl was on an E-bike and tried to flee gardai, who began a pursuit. It’s understood the girl tried to bump her bike up over the kerb onto a pavement, but lost control and collided with the Garda car.
Fiosrú later investigated the incident – and as a result the Garda driver of the car is set for prosecution.
Sources have told us frontline gardai are now increasingly wary of taking part in such pursuits – as they don’t have training for them.
The sources also told us that officers worry they will be investigated by Fiosrú if any incidents happen during pursuits – and they’ll end up being prosecuted themselves.
One said: “It is a crazy situation and members are feeling very vulnerable.
“Everyone has to behave within the law and gardai accept that. But everyone is really worried. They genuinely fear that they will go after some lad who takes a chase and they’ll be the ones who end up getting a (charge) sheet.”
But, speaking to the Irish Mirror late last week after a meeting in Dublin with the independent policing oversight body the PCSA, Commissioner Kelly said he wanted to look at the whole area of training for any officers who may have to pursue suspects.
He conceded that only a small amount of officers in sensitive units have such training.
But he said gardai should not be reluctant to take part in pursuits.
He said: “It would be very unfortunate if that is the situation.
“We have done a lot of work around our policy and procedures in this and particularly our control rooms and the instructions to our frontline people around it.
Chair of the Policing and Community Safety Authority (PCSA) Dr. Elaine Byrne and Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly speak to the media after Thursday’s meeting at the Grand Hotel, Malahide, north Dublin. Photo: Sam Boal/Collins Photos
“That certainly should not be the position. The reality is that pursuits are difficult. They can often be dangerous. That’s why we have put in people, we have done a lot of training around our control room people who manage these pursuits.
“Sometimes unfortunately they have to call off pursuits if they become too dangerous.
“One of the elements, and I have spoken to some of the associations around this, is that we need to relook at the training that we have for some of the people that we are asking to do this really difficult work.
“That is certainly an area that I will be looking at.”
When asked if there were gardai on the ground trained in pursuits, he replied: “There are certain cohorts of our organisation that are, but they are in limited specialist units.
“It’s an area that I want to relook at.”
But Mark O’Meara, president of the Garda Representative Association which represents 11,500 rank and file officers, has told us in response that its members feel alone and vulnerable when it comes to pursuits.
He said: “There is a distinct lack of training and proper clear transparent policy on pursuits, which is one of the greatest concerns for the Garda Representative Association on behalf of our members.
GRA President Mark O’Meara, centre, pictured with General Secretary Ronan Slevin, and Assistant General Secretary Tara McManus. Photo: Mick O’Neill(Image: Mick O’Neill/The Irish Mirror)
“There are repeated contradictory and confusing public narratives and sound bites around pursuit training, including yesterday’s comments by the Commissioner when he stated that ‘a small number are trained in specialist units’.
“While the Commissioner says he will look at it, when it was put to him that members are reluctant to engage in pursuits as they fear prosecution, he stated ‘it would be very unfortunate if that is the situation’.
“We the Association on behalf of our members share that fear whereby our members, in the absence of proper policy and comprehensive training, will be at a significant risk of discipline and prosecution with no protection from the state when they try to enforce the rule of law in this regard.”
When contacted for comment, Fiosrú said: “Fiosrú does not comment on matters that are due before the courts.”
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