AN GARDA SÍOCHÁNA is to extend its taser pilot for six months until the end of 2026 and expand it to Limerick.
In December, gardaí launched a pilot in stations Store Street, Pearse Street, and Kevin Street in Dublin, and Waterford, with 167 gardaí successfully completing their training and being provided with tasers.
The Conductive Energy Devices, also known as the brand name ‘taser’, works by releasing an electric charge to incapacitate a person.
In a statement today, An Garda Síochána said the devices “have proven to be successful at de-escalating volatile and violent incidents”.
Since December, tasers have been used 15 times, and no serious injuries were received by the subjects or gardaí.
Of the 15 uses, there were three discharges, five instances of drawing and arming, and seven where the subject had the taser’s laser pointed at them by gardaí. All three taser discharges were referred to the police ombudsman Fiosrú.
In six of the 15 incidents, a weapon was produced by the subject.
A spokesperson for the force said that arrests and charges came in seven of the cases, while in one case, the subject fled and was not apprehended, and in three cases the person was detained and assessed under Section 12 of the Mental Health Act 2001.
They said “one further subject was brought to hospital for an issue not related to the use of garda force”.
One occasion a taser was drawn related to a domestic violence incident at a residential address, where a woman and her child reported they had been assaulted by a former male partner.
Gardaí said that the suspect became “extremely aggressive” towards gardaí when approached, but the situation de-escalated with force or injury when a garda drew their taser from the holster. The suspect was then arrested, detained and charged.
Speaking today, Deputy Commissioner, Paul Cleary said, one of the “key measures of success” during this pilot is to de-escalate and to avoid harm, not the number of times a device is discharged.
He said harm to the person arrested has “likely been avoided as the drawing, aiming and laser painting has meant that other uses of force such as baton did not need to be used”.
All gardaí with tasers have undergone a comprehensive three-day taser training course, and tasers are only deployed where gardaí are using body cams.